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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. hand — help
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. branch — a division
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. degree — an amount
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. hand — in cards
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. degree — from a university
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. snap — to click
  23. season — in sport
  24. rush — hurry

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