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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: bear · bore · straw · drill · ruler · branch · row · capital

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. bear — the animal
  3. drill — a practice
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. capital — money
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. bore — to drill
  9. drill — army training
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. row — a line
  13. branch — a division
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. row — to paddle
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. bore — to tire
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. bear — the animal
  23. drill — the tool
  24. capital — a city

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