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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bound — obliged
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. lean — thin
  6. degree — temperature
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. degree — an amount
  9. pop — to visit
  10. spell — a short time
  11. degree — from a university
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. branch — a division
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. dip — to sink
  16. pop — music
  17. pop — soda
  18. bound — certain
  19. spell — magic
  20. bound — tied together
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. lean — to bend
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. fork — in a road

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