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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: rule · squash · fan · degree · charge · branch · net · wound

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. wound — an injury
  3. charge — in control
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. branch — a division
  8. squash — the sport
  9. degree — from a university
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. charge — a price
  12. net — after costs
  13. charge — electricity
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. degree — an amount
  18. rule — a law
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. wound — an injury
  21. squash — to crush
  22. rule — government
  23. net — in sport
  24. net — for catching

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