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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: fine · object · bowl · toast · straw · degree · race · branch

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. branch — a division
  3. fine — high quality
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. object — a thing
  6. toast — bread
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. degree — from a university
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. race — the arms race
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. degree — an amount
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. fine — all right
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. race — humankind
  21. race — a contest
  22. object — an aim
  23. degree — temperature
  24. straw — dry grass

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