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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 120 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: land · ruler · stock · ball · pit · drill · race · branch

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. land — a country
  4. drill — the tool
  5. pit — in a race
  6. drill — a practice
  7. race — humankind
  8. ball — a great time
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. land — to come down
  12. pit — a hole
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. ball — a dance
  15. race — the arms race
  16. stock — shares
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. branch — a division
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. land — ground
  22. race — a contest
  23. drill — army training
  24. ball — a round shape

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