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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. degree — an amount
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. rock — music
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. row — a line
  9. degree — from a university
  10. chip — to eat
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. prune — to trim
  13. rock — a stone
  14. prune — to trim
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. shower — to wash
  17. row — to paddle
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. degree — temperature
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. branch — a division
  24. shower — rain

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