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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 120 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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  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. pop — soda
  2. branch — a division
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. rash — hasty
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. craft — boats
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. degree — from a university
  9. degree — temperature
  10. ball — a great time
  11. wound — an injury
  12. pop — to visit
  13. dip — to sink
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. degree — an amount
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. wound — an injury
  18. pop — music
  19. rash — a series
  20. ball — a dance
  21. craft — a skill
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. branch — of a bank
  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