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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: bass · degree · stand · temple · hand · wave · branch · foot

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. degree — from a university
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. hand — help
  9. bass — low music
  10. foot — a measure
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. branch — a division
  16. bass — the fish
  17. hand — in cards
  18. stand — to bear
  19. degree — an amount
  20. degree — temperature
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. branch — of a tree

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