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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bear — the animal
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. bat — the animal
  5. spell — magic
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. degree — from a university
  9. branch — a division
  10. spell — letters
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. bark — to shout
  13. degree — temperature
  14. degree — an amount
  15. ball — a dance
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. spell — a short time
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. ball — a great time
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. branch — of a tree

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