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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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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 · deal · wind · roll · lean · club · craft · degree

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. degree — an amount
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. deal — to handle
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. lean — to bend
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. craft — a skill
  11. degree — temperature
  12. club — for dancing
  13. degree — from a university
  14. club — for golf
  15. wind — moving air
  16. branch — a division
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. club — a group
  19. roll — a cake
  20. wind — moving air
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. craft — boats
  23. roll — a list
  24. craft — a handicraft

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