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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 · branch · racket · cabinet · press · mate · stock · object

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. stock — shares
  3. mate — a partner
  4. degree — an amount
  5. press — a publisher
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. object — an aim
  9. press — to push
  10. degree — temperature
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. mate — to breed
  13. degree — from a university
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. branch — a division
  16. stock — goods
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. press — newspapers
  21. object — a thing
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. mate — a friend
  24. object — to protest

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