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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. spell — letters
  4. degree — an amount
  5. can — to be able to
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. branch — a division
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. can — a tin
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. pound — a weight
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rash — a series
  15. degree — from a university
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. sharp — clever
  18. spell — a short time
  19. degree — temperature
  20. rash — hasty
  21. spell — magic
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. can — a tin
  24. sharp — with an edge

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