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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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 · spell · mine · degree · craft · mark

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mark — a trace
  3. degree — an amount
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. spell — letters
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. craft — a skill
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. craft — boats
  10. mark — a grade
  11. spell — a short time
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. degree — temperature
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. spell — magic
  16. branch — a division
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. degree — from a university

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