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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. degree — an amount
  3. degree — temperature
  4. cell — a phone
  5. roll — a cake
  6. cell — in biology
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. degree — from a university
  9. suit — clothes
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. roll — a list
  12. toast — bread
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. wound — an injury
  16. suit — to fit
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. wound — an injury
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. suit — in cards
  22. mark — a grade
  23. mark — a trace
  24. branch — of a tree

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