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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: leaves · lie · swing · stand · tear · branch · degree · saw

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. degree — temperature
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. degree — an amount
  7. swing — to play on
  8. tear — to rip
  9. tear — from crying
  10. swing — in golf
  11. degree — from a university
  12. saw — the tool
  13. tear — from crying
  14. lie — to recline
  15. swing — music
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. branch — a division
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. stand — to bear
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. saw — the tool

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