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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. firm — steady
  3. firm — decided
  4. pass — a permit
  5. degree — temperature
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. tear — to rip
  9. tear — from crying
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. land — to come down
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. branch — a division
  17. land — ground
  18. firm — a company
  19. snap — to click
  20. degree — an amount
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. tear — from crying
  23. land — a country
  24. degree — from a university

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