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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 124 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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. degree — temperature
  6. land — to come down
  7. degree — an amount
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. plane — a tool
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. land — a country
  14. bat — the animal
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. tube — a container
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. tube — the underground
  21. land — ground
  22. pound — a weight
  23. degree — from a university
  24. branch — a division

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