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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. fine — all right
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. degree — from a university
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. pass — a permit
  8. degree — temperature
  9. wake — a trail
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. branch — a division
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. degree — an amount
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. band — a ring
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. band — a music group
  24. fine — high quality

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