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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: kick · game · leaves · rest · degree · track · wake · branch

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. degree — from a university
  3. game — wild animals
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. track — a path
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. kick — in football
  11. rest — what's left
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. rest — a break
  14. track — a song
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. rest — what's left
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. track — to keep track
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. branch — a division
  22. degree — temperature
  23. wake — a trail
  24. game — a match

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