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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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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: drill · branch · foot · racket · spring · content · ruler · fork

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. branch — a division
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. drill — a practice
  7. drill — the tool
  8. content — the amount
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. spring — of water
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. content — happy
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. spring — a coil
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. foot — a measure
  21. drill — army training
  22. fork — in a road
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. ruler — for measuring

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