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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. degree — temperature
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. root — of a word
  9. net — for catching
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. mate — to breed
  12. root — of a plant
  13. mate — a partner
  14. root — the cause
  15. wind — moving air
  16. degree — an amount
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. net — after costs
  19. mate — a friend
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. net — in sport
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. branch — a division

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