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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · mouse · snap · present · bat · degree · hand · mine

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. branch — a division
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. degree — temperature
  9. snap — to click
  10. present — there
  11. present — the time now
  12. bat — the animal
  13. hand — in cards
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. degree — from a university
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mine — for digging
  18. present — a gift
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. hand — help
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. degree — an amount
  24. bat — in an idiom

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