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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. degree — temperature
  4. ground — the earth
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. cell — a phone
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. bulb — for light
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. degree — an amount
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. deal — to handle
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. ground — crushed
  17. branch — a division
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. ground — a position
  20. cell — in biology
  21. degree — from a university
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. bulb — for light
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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