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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.

Make a worksheet

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 asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. mug — a face
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. degree — an amount
  7. mug — to rob
  8. branch — a division
  9. degree — from a university
  10. spell — a short time
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. bass — low music
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. spring — of water
  15. spring — the season
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. land — to come down
  18. bass — the fish
  19. land — ground
  20. degree — temperature
  21. spring — a coil
  22. mug — a cup
  23. spell — letters
  24. land — a country

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