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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
468
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 · snap · degree · straw · sharp · leaves · dip · deal

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. degree — an amount
  4. branch — a division
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. sharp — clever
  10. degree — from a university
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. degree — temperature
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. deal — to handle
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. snap — to click
  23. dip — to sink
  24. sharp — with an edge

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