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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 · tear · spell · cold · club · mouse · rule · safe

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. cold — not warm
  5. tear — from crying
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. rule — a law
  8. spell — a short time
  9. club — for golf
  10. club — for dancing
  11. spell — magic
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. rule — government
  18. tear — from crying
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. club — a group
  22. cold — an illness
  23. spell — letters
  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