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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: drill · object · row · degree · board · capital · press · branch

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. drill — the tool
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. row — a line
  5. degree — temperature
  6. drill — army training
  7. object — a thing
  8. branch — a division
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. capital — a city
  11. board — to get on
  12. object — to protest
  13. degree — an amount
  14. press — newspapers
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. row — to paddle
  17. capital — money
  18. press — a publisher
  19. board — a committee
  20. press — to push
  21. degree — from a university
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. object — an aim
  24. row — a quarrel

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