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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: pound · nail · swing · race · net · branch · degree · foot

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. swing — to play on
  3. degree — from a university
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. foot — a measure
  7. net — in sport
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. swing — music
  10. race — the arms race
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. pound — a weight
  14. race — a contest
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. branch — a division
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. degree — temperature
  19. net — for catching
  20. net — after costs
  21. race — humankind
  22. swing — in golf
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. degree — an amount

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