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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. present — a gift
  3. degree — temperature
  4. band — a ring
  5. branch — a division
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. rule — a law
  8. present — there
  9. capital — money
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. staff — employees
  14. capital — a city
  15. staff — employees
  16. degree — an amount
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. rule — government
  19. stand — to bear
  20. present — the time now
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. degree — from a university
  23. staff — a stick
  24. band — a music group

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