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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. ground — crushed
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. branch — a division
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. band — a music group
  7. degree — from a university
  8. root — of a word
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. squash — the sport
  11. squash — to crush
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. root — the cause
  15. root — of a plant
  16. band — a ring
  17. degree — temperature
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. degree — an amount
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. ground — the earth
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. snap — to click
  24. patient — a sick person

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