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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: bank · degree · race · wave · jam · cabinet · swing · branch

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. bank — for money
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. degree — from a university
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. swing — in golf
  8. branch — a division
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. bank — for money
  11. degree — an amount
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. swing — music
  15. race — a contest
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. race — the arms race
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. degree — temperature
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. swing — to play on
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. bank — of a river
  24. race — humankind

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