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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. degree — an amount
  3. rock — a stone
  4. branch — a division
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. court — of a king
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. degree — from a university
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. bound — tied together
  13. rock — music
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. bound — obliged
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. degree — temperature
  19. court — for sport
  20. bound — certain
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. court — of law
  24. wax — to grow

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