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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. court — for sport
  3. degree — an amount
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. board — to get on
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. prune — to trim
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. branch — a division
  14. court — of law
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. rash — a series
  19. degree — from a university
  20. board — a committee
  21. rash — hasty
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. court — of a king
  24. board — a flat piece

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