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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. fine — high quality
  3. row — to paddle
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. staff — employees
  6. degree — an amount
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. spring — a coil
  9. staff — a stick
  10. fine — all right
  11. row — a line
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. spring — the season
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. suit — in cards
  17. degree — from a university
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. suit — clothes
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. staff — employees
  22. spring — of water
  23. branch — a division
  24. degree — temperature

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