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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. net — after costs
  3. fork — in a road
  4. suit — clothes
  5. branch — a division
  6. suit — to fit
  7. mine — for digging
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. suit — in cards
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. degree — temperature
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. degree — from a university
  15. net — for catching
  16. bulb — for light
  17. net — in sport
  18. bulb — for light
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. degree — an amount
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. fork — to eat with

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