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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: branch · bank · rest · key · lean · scale · stock · degree

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bank — of a river
  3. branch — a division
  4. rest — a break
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. lean — to bend
  8. degree — from a university
  9. stock — shares
  10. degree — an amount
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. degree — temperature
  13. key — the most important part
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stock — goods
  16. scale — in music
  17. lean — thin
  18. bank — for money
  19. rest — what's left
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. rest — what's left
  22. scale — size or range
  23. key — in music
  24. key — for a lock

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