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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: leaves · cell · mark · degree · racket · patient · bank · branch

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. bank — of a river
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. cell — a phone
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. mark — a grade
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — an amount
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. mark — a trace
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. bank — for money
  20. branch — a division
  21. cell — in biology
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. bank — for money
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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