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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. chip — to eat
  4. degree — temperature
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. pop — soda
  7. pop — to visit
  8. degree — from a university
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. bulb — for light
  11. chip — for betting
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. branch — a division
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. snap — to click
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. pop — music
  20. bulb — for light
  21. degree — an amount
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. mine — for digging
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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