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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: branch · plane · degree · race · press · hide

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. branch — a division
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. press — a publisher
  5. plane — a tool
  6. degree — an amount
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. degree — temperature
  9. press — to push
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. race — humankind
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. degree — from a university
  15. race — the arms race
  16. race — a contest
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. press — newspapers

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