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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: pitcher · chair · drill · nail · saw · fan · branch · rule

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. saw — the tool
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. drill — the tool
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. drill — a practice
  8. saw — the tool
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. chair — a leader
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. branch — a division
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. drill — army training
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. rule — a law
  23. rule — government
  24. fan — a supporter

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