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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: bat · branch · leaves · track · coach · degree · saw · bank

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. degree — an amount
  3. track — a path
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. saw — the tool
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bank — for money
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bank — for money
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. degree — from a university
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bank — of a river
  14. track — a song
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. branch — a division
  17. track — to keep track
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. degree — temperature

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