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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. deal — to handle
  3. degree — from a university
  4. branch — a division
  5. ball — a great time
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. bear — the animal
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. spring — of water
  11. ball — a dance
  12. spring — the season
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. spring — a coil
  15. sharp — clever
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. cell — a phone
  18. degree — temperature
  19. cell — in biology
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. degree — an amount

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