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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: bank · pit · fan · game · degree · branch · dip · lie

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bank — for money
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. degree — an amount
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. lie — to recline
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. bank — of a river
  12. dip — to sink
  13. pit — in a race
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. branch — a division
  17. game — a match
  18. pit — a hole
  19. bank — for money
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. degree — from a university
  24. game — wild animals

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