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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 116 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 · drill · mine · fan · content · ground · ruler · branch

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. drill — army training
  4. mine — for digging
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. ground — crushed
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. content — happy
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. drill — a practice
  13. ground — a position
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. drill — the tool
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. saw — the tool
  20. branch — a division
  21. saw — the tool
  22. content — the amount
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. ground — the earth

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