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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. degree — from a university
  4. wind — moving air
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. degree — temperature
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. degree — an amount
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. wind — moving air
  13. fall — to drop
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. fall — the season
  17. ball — a great time
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. ball — a dance
  23. fall — to drop
  24. nail — on a finger

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