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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: saw · ruler · present · swing · last · branch · mark · capital

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. saw — the tool
  4. mark — a trace
  5. present — there
  6. present — a gift
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. swing — to play on
  9. mark — a grade
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. capital — money
  12. swing — music
  13. last — finally
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. swing — in golf
  16. last — final
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. capital — a city
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. saw — the tool
  21. branch — a division
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. present — the time now
  24. last — to go on

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