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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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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: squash · mate · degree · racket · jam · ruler · stem · branch

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mate — a partner
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. squash — the sport
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. degree — from a university
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. branch — a division
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. degree — an amount
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. squash — to crush
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. mate — a friend
  22. stem — to come from
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. degree — temperature

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