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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. snap — to click
  4. deal — to handle
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. degree — from a university
  11. degree — an amount
  12. stem — to come from
  13. chair — a leader
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. branch — a division
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. degree — temperature
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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