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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: staff · pop · kid · branch · chip · key · squash · degree

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. key — in music
  3. staff — employees
  4. pop — soda
  5. chip — for betting
  6. pop — music
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. kid — to tease
  9. degree — an amount
  10. squash — the sport
  11. degree — temperature
  12. key — for a lock
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. pop — to visit
  16. degree — from a university
  17. kid — child
  18. staff — a stick
  19. key — the most important part
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. staff — employees
  22. squash — to crush
  23. chip — to eat
  24. branch — of a bank

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