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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. land — a country
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wake — a trail
  6. degree — from a university
  7. degree — temperature
  8. clip — a video
  9. land — ground
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. clip — to cut
  12. branch — a division
  13. press — newspapers
  14. degree — an amount
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. press — a publisher
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. land — to come down
  21. press — to push
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. clip — for paper

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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