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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 120 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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. 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. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. stem — to come from
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. cold — not warm
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. cold — an illness
  10. can — to be able to
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. can — a tin
  14. degree — temperature
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. can — a tin
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. branch — a division
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bass — low music
  23. degree — from a university
  24. 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