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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: kid · row · ground · last · rule · branch · vault · mouse

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. rule — government
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. vault — a safe
  6. last — to go on
  7. ground — the earth
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. last — final
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. ground — a position
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. branch — a division
  17. ground — crushed
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. kid — to tease
  20. kid — child
  21. rule — a law
  22. row — a line
  23. last — finally
  24. row — to paddle

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