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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: branch · bore · pop · snap · rule · vault · land · rest

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. rule — a law
  3. rule — government
  4. snap — to click
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. rest — what's left
  7. land — a country
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. land — to come down
  10. pop — music
  11. bore — to drill
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. pop — soda
  14. bore — to tire
  15. rest — a break
  16. land — ground
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. pop — to visit
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. vault — a safe
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. rest — what's left
  24. branch — of a tree

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