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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: mug · rest · face · bear · straw · dip · branch · degree

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. rest — what's left
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. bear — the animal
  6. mug — a cup
  7. mug — to rob
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. branch — a division
  10. mug — a face
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. rest — a break
  14. degree — from a university
  15. face — to confront
  16. face — part of the head
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. face — to point toward
  19. rest — what's left
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. bear — the animal
  22. degree — an amount
  23. dip — to sink
  24. straw — a straw man

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