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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.

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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. land — a country
  3. branch — a division
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. press — to push
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. land — to come down
  9. press — a publisher
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. shower — rain
  13. degree — from a university
  14. degree — temperature
  15. degree — an amount
  16. shower — to wash
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. press — newspapers
  20. deal — to handle
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. calf — of the leg

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