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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. degree — from a university
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. degree — temperature
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. branch — a division
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. stem — to come from
  14. band — a music group
  15. degree — an amount
  16. bear — the animal
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. band — a ring
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. chair — a leader
  22. hand — help
  23. hand — in cards
  24. chair — a professorship

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