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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. pop — soda
  3. clip — to cut
  4. pop — music
  5. cap — of ice
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. craft — a skill
  8. pop — to visit
  9. degree — temperature
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. rush — hurry
  12. degree — an amount
  13. clip — for paper
  14. craft — boats
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. cap — a hat
  17. degree — from a university
  18. clip — a video
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. cap — a lid
  24. rush — a thrill

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