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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. degree — an amount
  3. can — to be able to
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. field — a subject
  8. branch — a division
  9. bank — of a river
  10. field — farmland
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. bank — for money
  13. can — a tin
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — an injury
  16. clip — to cut
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. bank — for money
  19. clip — for paper
  20. can — a tin
  21. degree — from a university
  22. field — for sport
  23. clip — a video
  24. branch — of a tree

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