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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bass — low music
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. suit — in cards
  6. mate — a partner
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. cold — not warm
  9. land — ground
  10. cold — an illness
  11. land — a country
  12. suit — clothes
  13. land — to come down
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. suit — to fit
  16. degree — an amount
  17. mate — to breed
  18. degree — from a university
  19. degree — temperature
  20. deal — to handle
  21. mate — a friend
  22. branch — a division
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. bass — the fish

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