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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: tear · rule · bore · game · branch · stem · straw · fine

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. fine — high quality
  3. bore — to drill
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. bore — to tire
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. fine — all right
  13. stem — to come from
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. rule — government
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. game — a match
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. branch — a division
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. tear — from crying
  22. game — wild animals
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — to rip

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