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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: safe · ruler · rule · pitcher · land · fan · branch · scale

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. rule — a law
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. branch — a division
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. land — a country
  12. scale — size or range
  13. scale — in music
  14. rule — government
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. land — ground
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. land — to come down

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