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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. branch — a division
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. mark — a trace
  9. dip — to sink
  10. present — there
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. degree — temperature
  13. present — a gift
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. mark — a grade
  16. row — a line
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. row — to paddle
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. degree — from a university
  24. degree — an amount

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