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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. can — a tin
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. degree — temperature
  6. can — to be able to
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. scale — in music
  10. branch — a division
  11. stock — shares
  12. stock — goods
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. spell — letters
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. spell — a short time
  17. spell — magic
  18. degree — from a university
  19. degree — an amount
  20. scale — size or range
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. wake — a trail
  23. can — a tin
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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