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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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Word bank
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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: spell · arm · branch · saw · jam · spring · degree · present

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. spell — letters
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. saw — the tool
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. present — the time now
  7. degree — an amount
  8. spell — magic
  9. saw — the tool
  10. spring — of water
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. degree — from a university
  13. present — a gift
  14. branch — a division
  15. present — there
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. spell — a short time
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. spring — the season
  23. degree — temperature
  24. jam — in traffic

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