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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. spell — a short time
  3. bear — the animal
  4. drill — a practice
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. drill — the tool
  8. bear — the animal
  9. degree — temperature
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. degree — an amount
  12. spell — magic
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. vault — a safe
  16. degree — from a university
  17. court — of a king
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. court — of law
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. drill — army training
  22. plane — a tool
  23. spell — letters
  24. branch — a division

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