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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 116 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: hand · lean · shower · ruler · branch · content · rock · capital

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. shower — rain
  4. capital — money
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. content — the amount
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. shower — to wash
  9. hand — help
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. hand — in cards
  12. lean — thin
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. lean — to bend
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. capital — a city
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. rock — music
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. content — happy
  23. rock — a stone
  24. branch — a division

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