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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. degree — an amount
  3. bound — certain
  4. fork — in a road
  5. branch — a division
  6. bound — obliged
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. bound — tied together
  10. season — of the year
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. degree — temperature
  13. drill — the tool
  14. drill — a practice
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. drill — army training
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. season — in sport
  20. lean — thin
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. lean — to bend
  23. stem — to come from
  24. degree — from a university

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