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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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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: spell · cue · branch · pop · band · degree · mate · trunk

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. band — a music group
  4. cue — a signal
  5. cue — a hint
  6. mate — a partner
  7. pop — to visit
  8. spell — a short time
  9. band — a ring
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. degree — an amount
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. degree — temperature
  15. pop — soda
  16. cue — for pool
  17. spell — magic
  18. branch — a division
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. degree — from a university
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. mate — a friend
  23. mate — to breed
  24. pop — music

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