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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 120 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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. tube — a container
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. squash — to crush
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. rest — a break
  8. court — of a king
  9. squash — the sport
  10. tube — the underground
  11. degree — from a university
  12. degree — temperature
  13. court — for sport
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. court — of law
  16. rest — what's left
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. degree — an amount
  20. rest — what's left
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. branch — of a bank

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