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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.

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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: branch · lash · degree · dip · coach · march · fine · stem

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. degree — temperature
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. fine — all right
  6. degree — an amount
  7. march — the month
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. branch — a division
  11. degree — from a university
  12. march — the month
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. dip — to sink
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. stem — to come from
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. march — music
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. dip — to dunk

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