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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: bulb · kick · bat · wind · file · degree · can · branch

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. degree — from a university
  4. can — to be able to
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. can — a tin
  7. file — a tool
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. file — a document
  10. degree — temperature
  11. wind — moving air
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. bat — the animal
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. can — a tin
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — for light
  19. branch — a division
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. degree — an amount
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. kick — in football

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