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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. present — there
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. degree — an amount
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. cell — in biology
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. degree — temperature
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. degree — from a university
  17. present — the time now
  18. cell — a phone
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. branch — a division
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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