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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. degree — an amount
  3. net — for catching
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. rock — a stone
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. degree — from a university
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. degree — temperature
  12. file — a document
  13. dip — to sink
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. file — a line of people
  16. spell — magic
  17. fork — in a road
  18. spell — letters
  19. branch — a division
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. file — a tool
  22. net — in sport
  23. rock — music
  24. net — after costs

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