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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. charge — electricity
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. date — the fruit
  8. charge — a price
  9. charge — in control
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. branch — a division
  12. degree — temperature
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. degree — from a university
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. pound — a weight
  18. degree — an amount

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