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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. pop — to visit
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. rush — hurry
  5. branch — a division
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. degree — an amount
  8. pop — music
  9. roll — a cake
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. mate — to breed
  12. roll — a list
  13. pop — soda
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. degree — temperature
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. degree — from a university
  18. mate — a friend
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. mate — a partner
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. rush — to hurry

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