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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: wind · branch · file · bay · club · degree · charge · ball

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. degree — temperature
  3. ball — a dance
  4. degree — an amount
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. club — for golf
  9. degree — from a university
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. club — for dancing
  12. file — a line of people
  13. file — a tool
  14. branch — a division
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. file — a document
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. charge — electricity
  20. charge — a price
  21. wind — moving air
  22. charge — in control
  23. ball — a great time
  24. wind — moving air

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