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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  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. mine — an explosive
  2. mine — for digging
  3. prune — to trim
  4. degree — from a university
  5. degree — an amount
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. mark — a grade
  9. prune — to trim
  10. degree — temperature
  11. ground — crushed
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. club — a group
  14. club — for dancing
  15. ground — the earth
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. club — for golf
  18. fine — high quality
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. mark — a trace
  21. ground — a position
  22. fine — all right
  23. branch — a division
  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