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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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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: ruler · content · cold · coach · hide · fork · branch · shower

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. shower — rain
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. content — the amount
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. branch — a division
  15. shower — to wash
  16. fork — in a road
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. content — happy
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. cold — not warm
  21. cold — an illness
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. ruler — for measuring

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