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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. press — newspapers
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. field — a subject
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. press — a publisher
  8. press — to push
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. degree — from a university
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. field — for sport
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. field — farmland
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. branch — a division
  21. sharp — clever
  22. wax — to grow
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. degree — temperature

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