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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. degree — an amount
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. degree — from a university
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. mate — to breed
  9. mate — a friend
  10. scale — in music
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. saw — the tool
  15. ball — a dance
  16. mate — a partner
  17. branch — a division
  18. ball — a great time
  19. saw — the tool
  20. degree — temperature
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. snap — to click
  23. scale — size or range
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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