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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. fork — in a road
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. degree — an amount
  7. suit — in cards
  8. kid — to tease
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. suit — to fit
  14. suit — clothes
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. degree — temperature
  17. bat — the animal
  18. rush — hurry
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. branch — a division
  23. kid — child
  24. degree — from a university

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