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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 chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  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. branch — of a tree
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. branch — a division
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. court — of a king
  6. wind — moving air
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. court — of law
  9. degree — from a university
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. kick — in football
  12. land — to come down
  13. chair — a leader
  14. degree — an amount
  15. land — a country
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. plane — a tool
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. wind — moving air
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. land — ground
  22. court — for sport
  23. wind — to turn a key
  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