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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wind · degree · jam · staff · branch · pop · march · hide

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. wind — moving air
  4. degree — an amount
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. staff — employees
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. pop — music
  11. staff — employees
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. march — music
  14. march — the month
  15. degree — temperature
  16. march — the month
  17. pop — to visit
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. staff — a stick
  20. branch — a division
  21. degree — from a university
  22. wind — moving air
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. branch — of a bank

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