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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: wound · drill · foot · ground · rule · mate · branch · pitcher

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. mate — a partner
  3. rule — government
  4. ground — crushed
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. branch — a division
  7. rule — a law
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. wound — an injury
  11. foot — a measure
  12. mate — a friend
  13. mate — to breed
  14. ground — the earth
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. wound — an injury
  17. drill — a practice
  18. ground — a position
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. drill — army training
  24. drill — the tool

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