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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 120 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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. net — after costs
  4. net — in sport
  5. degree — from a university
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. degree — temperature
  8. band — a music group
  9. degree — an amount
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. press — to push
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. press — newspapers
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. band — a ring
  22. branch — a division
  23. press — a publisher
  24. branch — of a bank

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