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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. degree — temperature
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. file — a tool
  5. key — in music
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. band — a music group
  10. key — for a lock
  11. band — a ring
  12. branch — a division
  13. key — the most important part
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. file — a document
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. degree — an amount
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — to trim
  21. degree — from a university
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. file — a line of people
  24. squash — the sport

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