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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. branch — a division
  3. firm — a company
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. firm — steady
  6. plane — a tool
  7. season — of the year
  8. firm — decided
  9. degree — from a university
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. season — in sport
  13. can — a tin
  14. root — the cause
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. can — to be able to
  17. degree — an amount
  18. can — a tin
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. root — of a plant
  22. degree — temperature
  23. root — of a word
  24. plane — in geometry

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