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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: suit · last · pound · rock · march · degree · scale · branch

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. scale — in music
  3. march — the month
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. degree — from a university
  6. branch — a division
  7. rock — music
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. last — to go on
  10. suit — to fit
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. last — finally
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. rock — a stone
  15. suit — in cards
  16. degree — temperature
  17. march — the month
  18. march — music
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. degree — an amount
  21. pound — a weight
  22. suit — clothes
  23. scale — size or range
  24. last — final

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