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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: branch · wound · rule · bank · mug · saw · mouse · sharp

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. mug — a face
  4. bank — for money
  5. mug — a cup
  6. rule — government
  7. rule — a law
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. wound — an injury
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. mug — to rob
  16. sharp — clever
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. bank — of a river
  20. saw — the tool
  21. wound — an injury
  22. branch — a division
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. bank — for money

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