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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: degree · branch · pound · press · kick · rash

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. pound — a weight
  3. degree — an amount
  4. degree — from a university
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. branch — a division
  7. press — newspapers
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. rash — hasty
  10. press — a publisher
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. degree — temperature
  14. rash — a series
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. kick — in football
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. press — to push

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