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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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 sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. branch — a division
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. degree — from a university
  9. wake — a trail
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. rest — a break
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. rest — what's left
  16. capital — a city
  17. degree — temperature
  18. degree — an amount
  19. rest — what's left
  20. capital — money
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. foot — a measure
  24. foot — the bottom

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