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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. fine — high quality
  3. band — a ring
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. spring — of water
  6. band — a music group
  7. degree — from a university
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. spring — the season
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. degree — temperature
  12. mug — a face
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. fine — all right
  16. mug — a cup
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. branch — a division
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. mug — to rob
  21. kick — in football
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. spring — a coil

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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