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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. court — of a king
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. bank — for money
  5. snap — to click
  6. object — to protest
  7. object — a thing
  8. branch — a division
  9. land — ground
  10. court — for sport
  11. degree — temperature
  12. object — an aim
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. bank — of a river
  15. cue — a hint
  16. cue — a signal
  17. court — of law
  18. degree — from a university
  19. cue — for pool
  20. bank — for money
  21. degree — an amount
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. land — a country
  24. land — to come down

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