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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 120 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: scale · leaves · cell · branch · rest · degree · shower · mark

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. branch — a division
  4. scale — size or range
  5. rest — what's left
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. rest — what's left
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. cell — in biology
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. degree — an amount
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. mark — a grade
  17. shower — to wash
  18. scale — in music
  19. cell — a phone
  20. degree — temperature
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. shower — rain
  23. degree — from a university
  24. rest — a break

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