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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: roll · can · branch · perch · bass · mine · degree · mark

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. branch — a division
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bass — the fish
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — the fish
  7. degree — from a university
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. degree — temperature
  12. can — to be able to
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — a tin
  15. mine — for digging
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. roll — a list
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. mark — a grade
  22. degree — an amount
  23. mark — a trace
  24. bass — low music

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