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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. bulb — for light
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. mine — for digging
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bear — the animal
  9. degree — from a university
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. bear — the animal
  12. degree — an amount
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. degree — temperature
  15. deal — to handle
  16. chair — a leader
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. branch — a division
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bulb — for light
  24. chair — to sit on

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