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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. degree — from a university
  3. branch — a division
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. fall — to drop
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. fall — to drop
  13. present — the time now
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. fall — the season
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. present — there
  19. degree — an amount
  20. deal — to handle
  21. degree — temperature
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. straw — a straw man

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