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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. spell — a short time
  5. branch — a division
  6. bulb — for light
  7. lean — thin
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. degree — an amount
  10. degree — temperature
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. degree — from a university
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bulb — for light
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. foot — a measure
  18. spell — magic
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. lean — to bend
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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