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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: vault · press · season · degree · bass · scale · march · branch

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. season — of the year
  3. season — in sport
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. press — to push
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. press — newspapers
  10. press — a publisher
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. vault — a safe
  13. march — music
  14. degree — an amount
  15. march — the month
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. bass — low music
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. scale — size or range
  20. branch — a division
  21. degree — from a university
  22. scale — in music
  23. degree — temperature
  24. bass — the fish

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