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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 112 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 · mark · branch · craft · row · sharp · kid · tear

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. row — a line
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. kid — to tease
  8. tear — from crying
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. craft — a skill
  11. mark — a trace
  12. kid — child
  13. tear — from crying
  14. craft — boats
  15. sharp — clever
  16. row — to paddle
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. mark — a grade
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. branch — a division
  21. tear — to rip
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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