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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: rash · press · degree · staff · arm · pit · branch · kick

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. staff — employees
  3. press — a publisher
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. degree — from a university
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. kick — in football
  8. branch — a division
  9. pit — in a race
  10. rash — hasty
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. pit — a hole
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. rash — a series
  17. degree — temperature
  18. staff — a stick
  19. degree — an amount
  20. press — to push
  21. press — newspapers
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. staff — employees
  24. branch — of a bank

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