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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 · fall · tear · coach · degree · calf · game · mark

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. mark — a trace
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. mark — a grade
  5. degree — temperature
  6. fall — to drop
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. fall — the season
  11. tear — from crying
  12. game — wild animals
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. fall — to drop
  15. game — a match
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. tear — from crying
  18. degree — an amount
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. degree — from a university
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. branch — a division
  23. tear — to rip
  24. coach — a trainer

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