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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: suit · branch · press · bore · jam · degree · chest · wake

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. suit — in cards
  3. branch — a division
  4. suit — to fit
  5. degree — from a university
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. chest — of your body
  8. degree — temperature
  9. press — newspapers
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. bore — to tire
  12. press — to push
  13. press — a publisher
  14. bore — to drill
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. wake — a trail
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. suit — clothes
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — a box
  22. degree — an amount
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. wake — before a funeral

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