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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: degree · fan · patient · rest · stem · press · plane · branch

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. press — to push
  3. degree — from a university
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. plane — a tool
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. degree — temperature
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. rest — what's left
  10. stem — to come from
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. press — a publisher
  17. press — newspapers
  18. rest — a break
  19. degree — an amount
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. rest — what's left

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