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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: band · degree · cabinet · content · branch · nail · bay · court

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. court — for sport
  3. court — of a king
  4. band — a ring
  5. degree — temperature
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. content — the amount
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. court — of law
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. content — happy
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. band — a music group
  21. degree — from a university
  22. degree — an amount
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. bay — a horse colour

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