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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 120 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 cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. degree — temperature
  3. swing — music
  4. branch — a division
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. tear — to rip
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. tear — from crying
  11. swing — in golf
  12. tube — the underground
  13. swing — to play on
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. degree — an amount
  16. tube — a container
  17. tear — from crying
  18. degree — from a university
  19. present — a gift
  20. present — there
  21. present — the time now
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. racket — for tennis

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