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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 116 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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. ground — the earth
  3. present — there
  4. degree — temperature
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — the animal
  8. capital — a city
  9. present — the time now
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. capital — money
  12. prune — to trim
  13. tube — the underground
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. prune — to trim
  17. degree — from a university
  18. tube — a container
  19. ground — crushed
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. ground — a position
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. degree — an amount
  24. present — a gift

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