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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: fine · present · arm · scale · branch · degree · toast · cold

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. scale — size or range
  3. fine — high quality
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. toast — bread
  6. scale — in music
  7. fine — all right
  8. branch — a division
  9. present — there
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. cold — not warm
  12. present — a gift
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. degree — temperature
  20. degree — an amount
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. degree — from a university
  23. cold — an illness
  24. present — the time now

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