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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. ground — the earth
  3. degree — temperature
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. degree — from a university
  6. ground — crushed
  7. ground — a position
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. degree — an amount
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. hand — help
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. scale — size or range
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. squash — the sport
  16. hand — in cards
  17. branch — a division
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. fall — to drop
  20. scale — in music
  21. squash — to crush
  22. fall — the season
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. fall — to drop

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