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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. spring — the season
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. degree — an amount
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. ground — a position
  8. degree — temperature
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. pass — a permit
  11. degree — from a university
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — a series
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. content — the amount
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. content — happy
  19. ground — the earth
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. spring — of water
  22. ground — crushed
  23. spring — a coil
  24. branch — a division

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