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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 120 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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. prune — to trim
  4. squash — the sport
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. degree — temperature
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. branch — a division
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. stock — goods
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. prune — to trim
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. mark — a grade
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mark — a trace
  21. stock — shares
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. degree — an amount
  24. squash — to crush

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