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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. tear — to rip
  4. branch — a division
  5. ground — the earth
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. capital — money
  9. can — to be able to
  10. degree — from a university
  11. can — a tin
  12. pit — in a race
  13. tear — from crying
  14. ground — crushed
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. ground — a position
  20. degree — an amount
  21. tear — from crying
  22. capital — a city
  23. can — a tin
  24. pit — a hole

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