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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: deal · lean · bore · tear · branch · squash · stand · rule

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. stand — to bear
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. rule — a law
  6. bore — to tire
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. bore — to drill
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. squash — the sport
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. tear — from crying
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. tear — to rip
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. tear — from crying
  19. branch — a division
  20. deal — to handle
  21. rule — government
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. lean — thin
  24. squash — to crush

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