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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: degree · tear · racket · chair · branch · can · bulb · face

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. chair — a leader
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. degree — temperature
  5. tear — from crying
  6. can — to be able to
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bulb — for light
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — a tin
  15. degree — an amount
  16. tear — to rip
  17. face — to confront
  18. face — part of the head
  19. branch — a division
  20. tear — from crying
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. face — to point toward
  24. bulb — for light

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