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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. content — the amount
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. degree — temperature
  5. track — to keep track
  6. bank — for money
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. bank — of a river
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. rest — what's left
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. bank — for money
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. branch — a division
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — a break
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. degree — an amount
  21. track — a path
  22. degree — from a university
  23. track — a song
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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