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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: dip · degree · track · ground · cabinet · branch · pop · tube

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. track — a path
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. pop — to visit
  6. ground — the earth
  7. tube — the underground
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. degree — from a university
  10. ground — crushed
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. tube — a container
  14. track — to keep track
  15. track — a song
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. dip — to sink
  18. pop — soda
  19. degree — temperature
  20. branch — a division
  21. ground — a position
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. degree — an amount
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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