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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. spring — a coil
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. fall — to drop
  7. spring — the season
  8. stand — to bear
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — the season
  13. chest — of your body
  14. spring — of water
  15. chest — a box
  16. degree — from a university
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — to recline
  21. degree — an amount
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. branch — a division
  24. stand — on your feet

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