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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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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: bay · degree · racket · branch · fall · swing · last · pass

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. pass — a permit
  3. degree — from a university
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. fall — to drop
  6. swing — to play on
  7. fall — to drop
  8. degree — temperature
  9. degree — an amount
  10. fall — the season
  11. swing — in golf
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. last — to go on
  15. last — finally
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. last — final
  24. swing — 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