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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. face — to point toward
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. degree — an amount
  7. degree — temperature
  8. bank — for money
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. bank — of a river
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mine — for digging
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. bank — for money
  16. branch — a division
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. face — part of the head
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. cell — in biology
  21. face — to confront
  22. degree — from a university
  23. squash — the sport
  24. squash — to crush

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