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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: degree · net · stock · wound · branch · bulb · bound · dip

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. degree — from a university
  3. branch — a division
  4. net — in sport
  5. net — for catching
  6. degree — temperature
  7. wound — an injury
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. bound — obliged
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bulb — for light
  14. wound — an injury
  15. stock — shares
  16. net — after costs
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. bound — certain
  20. bulb — for light
  21. dip — to sink
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. degree — an amount
  24. stock — goods

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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