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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. can — a tin
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. can — to be able to
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. bass — the fish
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bass — low music
  14. can — a tin
  15. bear — the animal
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. wind — moving air
  20. branch — a division
  21. degree — temperature
  22. degree — from a university
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bear — the animal

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