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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. branch — a division
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. season — of the year
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. degree — an amount
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. degree — temperature
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. band — a music group
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. lean — to bend
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. sharp — clever
  21. lean — thin
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. degree — from a university
  24. season — in sport

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