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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. degree — temperature
  3. scale — in music
  4. pop — music
  5. wound — an injury
  6. spell — magic
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. degree — from a university
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. spell — a short time
  12. pop — to visit
  13. branch — a division
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. wound — an injury
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. scale — size or range
  21. spell — letters
  22. kick — in football
  23. pop — soda
  24. degree — an amount

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