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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ruler · branch · tear · staff · kick · stock · wind · spell

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. stock — goods
  3. wind — moving air
  4. tear — from crying
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. kick — in football
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — a division
  10. tear — to rip
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. spell — a short time
  13. spell — letters
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. staff — a stick
  17. stock — shares
  18. staff — employees
  19. tear — from crying
  20. staff — employees
  21. spell — magic
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — a monarch

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com