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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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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: rush · bulb · degree · capital · branch · squash · sharp · bore

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. bore — to drill
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. sharp — clever
  7. degree — temperature
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. branch — a division
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bulb — for light
  12. squash — to crush
  13. degree — from a university
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bulb — for light
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. capital — a city
  19. squash — the sport
  20. capital — money
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. rush — hurry
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. sharp — exactly

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