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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: ruler · prune · bound · mine · game · object · branch · lie

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. prune — to trim
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. branch — a division
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. bound — tied together
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. object — a thing
  10. game — a match
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. game — wild animals
  15. object — an aim
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. lie — to recline
  20. mine — for digging
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. object — to protest
  23. bound — certain
  24. bound — obliged

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