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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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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 · band · degree · wake · firm · branch · can · calf

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. can — to be able to
  3. degree — from a university
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. bat — the animal
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. degree — an amount
  11. wake — a trail
  12. can — a tin
  13. branch — a division
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. can — a tin
  17. firm — steady
  18. band — a music group
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. firm — a company
  23. degree — temperature
  24. band — a ring

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