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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. plane — a tool
  7. track — a path
  8. track — a song
  9. branch — a division
  10. degree — an amount
  11. ball — a great time
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. ball — a dance
  14. degree — from a university
  15. pound — a weight
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. degree — temperature
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. squash — to crush
  22. squash — the sport
  23. track — to keep track
  24. hand — in cards

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