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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. saw — the tool
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. key — for a lock
  6. mate — to breed
  7. key — in music
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. track — a song
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. track — to keep track
  12. track — a path
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. branch — a division
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. key — the most important part
  17. degree — an amount
  18. squash — the sport
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. degree — from a university
  21. mate — a friend
  22. mate — a partner
  23. degree — temperature
  24. saw — the tool

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