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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 · game · branch · mouse · trunk · roll · rest · club

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  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. mouse — the animal
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. rest — what's left
  4. club — for dancing
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. game — a match
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. rest — what's left
  9. roll — a cake
  10. club — for golf
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. roll — a list
  14. rest — a break
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. game — wild animals
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. club — a group
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. branch — a division
  23. trunk — of a tree
  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