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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  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. branch — of a bank
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. branch — a division
  4. board — a committee
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. degree — temperature
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. spell — a short time
  10. band — a ring
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. band — a music group
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. degree — from a university
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. firm — decided
  17. board — to get on
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. firm — steady
  20. firm — a company
  21. spell — magic
  22. spell — letters
  23. safe — out of danger
  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