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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: cold · rush · degree · club · rest · pass · branch · game

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. branch — a division
  4. rest — what's left
  5. pass — a permit
  6. degree — from a university
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. rest — what's left
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. cold — not warm
  14. degree — an amount
  15. rest — a break
  16. game — wild animals
  17. club — for dancing
  18. game — a match
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. club — a group
  21. degree — temperature
  22. rush — hurry
  23. cold — an illness
  24. club — for golf

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