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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. branch — a division
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. degree — an amount
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. swing — in golf
  9. mark — a grade
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. band — a ring
  12. mark — a trace
  13. swing — music
  14. cell — in biology
  15. ground — the earth
  16. band — a music group
  17. ground — crushed
  18. ground — a position
  19. swing — to play on
  20. degree — from a university
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. degree — temperature
  24. cell — a phone

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