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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. degree — from a university
  5. content — happy
  6. degree — temperature
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bound — obliged
  11. rock — a stone
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. content — the amount
  14. scale — size or range
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. rock — music
  18. bound — certain
  19. degree — an amount
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bound — tied together
  22. scale — in music
  23. branch — a division
  24. bat — the animal

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