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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. stem — to come from
  3. degree — from a university
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. bass — the fish
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. shower — rain
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. degree — an amount
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. shower — to wash
  19. cap — a lid
  20. cap — a hat
  21. cap — of ice
  22. degree — temperature
  23. bass — low music
  24. plane — a tool

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