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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: drill · nail · fan · degree · branch · swing · ruler · rule

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. rule — government
  3. branch — a division
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. swing — to play on
  7. drill — a practice
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. degree — temperature
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. drill — the tool
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. swing — music
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. degree — from a university
  20. swing — in golf
  21. rule — a law
  22. drill — army training
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. degree — an amount

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