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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: branch · swing · degree · mug · stock · bear · track · game

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. degree — temperature
  3. swing — music
  4. swing — to play on
  5. branch — a division
  6. degree — from a university
  7. game — a match
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. bear — the animal
  10. degree — an amount
  11. track — a song
  12. mug — to rob
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. bear — the animal
  15. stock — shares
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. mug — a face
  18. mug — a cup
  19. game — wild animals
  20. swing — in golf
  21. track — to keep track
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. track — a path

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