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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 drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. scale — size or range
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. degree — from a university
  8. net — for catching
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. net — in sport
  11. degree — an amount
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. branch — a division
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. net — after costs
  21. scale — in music
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. degree — temperature
  24. nail — for a hammer

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