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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: kick · lash · degree · branch · stick · bowl · root · sharp

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  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. degree — an amount
  2. degree — from a university
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. kick — in football
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. branch — a division
  8. root — of a word
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. root — the cause
  20. sharp — clever
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. root — of a plant
  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