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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. chest — of your body
  3. shower — rain
  4. squash — to crush
  5. degree — temperature
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. hand — in cards
  8. degree — an amount
  9. degree — from a university
  10. plane — a tool
  11. branch — a division
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. shower — to wash
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. chest — of your body
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. squash — the sport
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. hand — help
  22. chest — a box
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. safe — a strongbox

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