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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. club — for dancing
  5. snap — to click
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. club — a group
  8. root — of a word
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. stand — to bear
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. degree — an amount
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. root — of a plant
  16. degree — from a university
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. degree — temperature
  19. club — for golf
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. branch — a division
  22. root — the cause
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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