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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 116 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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. degree — temperature
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. bear — the animal
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. last — to go on
  7. ball — a dance
  8. degree — from a university
  9. scale — size or range
  10. last — finally
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. branch — a division
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. degree — an amount
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. scale — in music
  17. ball — a great time
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. bear — the animal
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. last — final

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