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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: date · stand · branch · degree · chest · bat · bear · coach

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — the fruit
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. chest — a box
  7. chest — of your body
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bear — the animal
  12. degree — temperature
  13. stand — to bear
  14. branch — a division
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. degree — an amount
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. stand — on your feet

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