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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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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: net · craft · capital · branch · dip · degree · pop · wake

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. pop — soda
  3. pop — to visit
  4. net — after costs
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. pop — music
  8. capital — money
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. capital — a city
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. wake — a trail
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. net — in sport
  16. degree — an amount
  17. degree — from a university
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. craft — a skill
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. dip — to sink
  22. net — for catching
  23. branch — a division
  24. craft — boats

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