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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. wind — moving air
  3. degree — temperature
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. degree — from a university
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. hand — help
  11. degree — an amount
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. root — of a word
  15. root — the cause
  16. root — of a plant
  17. wake — a trail
  18. hand — in cards
  19. wind — moving air
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. plane — a tool
  22. branch — a division
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. plane — in geometry

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