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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 120 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: tear · court · ruler · staff · squash · current · branch · mug

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — to rip
  6. tear — from crying
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. staff — employees
  10. current — of water
  11. court — for sport
  12. court — of a king
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. current — electric
  15. squash — the sport
  16. branch — a division
  17. current — happening now
  18. mug — to rob
  19. squash — to crush
  20. staff — employees
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. staff — a stick
  23. mug — a face
  24. mug — a cup

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