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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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468
Word bank
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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. file — a document
  7. pound — a weight
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. cell — a phone
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. file — a line of people
  14. degree — an amount
  15. branch — a division
  16. tube — a container
  17. tube — the underground
  18. swing — to play on
  19. degree — from a university
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. swing — music
  22. swing — in golf
  23. file — a tool
  24. cell — in biology

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