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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: pitch · bound · drill · chest · leaves · dip · degree · branch

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. degree — from a university
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. chest — a box
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. chest — of your body
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. bound — certain
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bound — tied together
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. drill — the tool
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. degree — temperature
  19. pitch — completely
  20. degree — an amount
  21. drill — army training
  22. dip — to sink
  23. drill — a practice
  24. bound — obliged

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