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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ground · degree · snap · object · safe · cell · branch · deal

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. object — a thing
  4. degree — an amount
  5. ground — crushed
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. snap — to click
  12. cell — a phone
  13. object — an aim
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. degree — from a university
  17. ground — the earth
  18. degree — temperature
  19. deal — to handle
  20. cell — in biology
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. ground — a position
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. branch — a division

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