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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. degree — from a university
  3. spring — a coil
  4. degree — temperature
  5. suit — clothes
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. fine — high quality
  8. band — a ring
  9. rush — hurry
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. band — a music group
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. suit — in cards
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. spring — the season
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. suit — to fit
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. fine — all right
  22. branch — a division
  23. degree — an amount
  24. spring — of water

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