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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: mine · rule · mug · branch · drill · current · cell · fan

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. rule — a law
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mug — a face
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. branch — a division
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. cell — in biology
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. drill — a practice
  12. cell — a phone
  13. current — of water
  14. drill — army training
  15. rule — government
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. mine — for digging
  19. current — electric
  20. current — happening now
  21. drill — the tool
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. mug — to rob
  24. rule — to rule out

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