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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. fall — the season
  3. branch — a division
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. last — final
  6. fall — to drop
  7. chip — for betting
  8. rock — a stone
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. fall — to drop
  11. degree — an amount
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. degree — from a university
  18. degree — temperature
  19. last — to go on
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. last — finally
  23. chip — to eat
  24. rock — music

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