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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 120 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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Word bank
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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: branch · wake · squash · leaves · content · drill · scale · rule

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. branch — a division
  3. drill — army training
  4. scale — size or range
  5. rule — government
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. content — happy
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. squash — the sport
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. content — the amount
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. drill — the tool
  18. scale — in music
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. drill — a practice
  21. wake — a trail
  22. squash — to crush
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. scale — for weighing

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