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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: deal · branch · ruler · wind · mark · field · cold · shower

  1. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. field — farmland
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wind — moving air
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. field — for sport
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. shower — rain
  9. wind — moving air
  10. branch — a division
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cold — not warm
  13. shower — to wash
  14. mark — a trace
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. field — a subject
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. deal — to handle
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. mark — a grade

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