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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cell · last · branch · mug · degree · drill · fork · ball

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. last — to go on
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. ball — a great time
  6. degree — an amount
  7. cell — in biology
  8. drill — a practice
  9. degree — temperature
  10. drill — army training
  11. fork — in a road
  12. mug — a face
  13. last — finally
  14. branch — a division
  15. drill — the tool
  16. cell — a phone
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. mug — to rob
  21. last — final
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. mug — a cup
  24. degree — from a university

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