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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: stem · chip · hide · roll · press · pitch · degree · branch

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. press — to push
  4. chip — to eat
  5. degree — an amount
  6. degree — from a university
  7. pitch — completely
  8. press — a publisher
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. chip — for betting
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. roll — a list
  17. press — newspapers
  18. roll — a cake
  19. stem — to come from
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. degree — temperature
  24. stem — a stem cell

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