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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. branch — a division
  3. root — the cause
  4. spell — magic
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. spell — a short time
  7. cue — for pool
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. cue — a signal
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. spell — letters
  12. march — the month
  13. fork — in a road
  14. root — of a word
  15. degree — temperature
  16. degree — an amount
  17. cue — a hint
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. snap — to click
  20. march — music
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. root — of a plant
  23. march — the month
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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