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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 116 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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. degree — temperature
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. wound — an injury
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. branch — a division
  14. mark — a grade
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. degree — an amount
  17. mark — a trace
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. cell — a phone
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. degree — from a university
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. cell — in biology

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