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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: mine · rule · wound · drill · firm · branch · prune · squash

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. firm — a company
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. squash — to crush
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. firm — steady
  8. drill — a practice
  9. drill — the tool
  10. branch — a division
  11. prune — to trim
  12. mine — for digging
  13. prune — to trim
  14. rule — government
  15. rule — a law
  16. firm — decided
  17. wound — an injury
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. wound — an injury
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. drill — army training
  24. squash — the sport

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