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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. degree — temperature
  6. bulb — for light
  7. degree — an amount
  8. clip — to cut
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. roll — a list
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. roll — a cake
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. last — to go on
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. clip — a video
  19. branch — a division
  20. clip — for paper
  21. last — final
  22. last — finally
  23. degree — from a university
  24. calf — a young animal

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