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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 120 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: bay · chest · mine · charge · branch · race · lie · degree

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. chest — of your body
  3. degree — temperature
  4. branch — a division
  5. degree — from a university
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. chest — of your body
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. lie — to recline
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. race — humankind
  13. charge — electricity
  14. race — the arms race
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. race — a contest
  18. charge — in control
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. charge — a price
  22. mine — for digging
  23. degree — an amount
  24. chest — a box

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