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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. branch — a division
  3. degree — an amount
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. club — for dancing
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. mug — a cup
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. spell — magic
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. spell — letters
  12. spell — a short time
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. mug — to rob
  15. club — a group
  16. club — for golf
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bass — low music
  19. degree — from a university
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bore — to tire
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. degree — temperature

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