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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. squash — the sport
  3. branch — a division
  4. degree — temperature
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. degree — from a university
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. squash — to crush
  9. press — a publisher
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. press — newspapers
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. degree — an amount
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. firm — decided
  19. wake — a trail
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. firm — a company
  22. press — to push
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. firm — steady

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