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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 116 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: bowl · bat · branch · file · staff · craft · bound · degree

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. file — a document
  3. file — a tool
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. degree — an amount
  8. craft — boats
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bound — certain
  11. staff — a stick
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bound — obliged
  14. degree — from a university
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. craft — a skill
  19. branch — a division
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — employees
  23. file — a line of people
  24. degree — temperature

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