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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: scale · branch · date · kick · degree · tear · bank · net

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. bank — for money
  3. bank — for money
  4. net — for catching
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. tear — from crying
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. bank — of a river
  11. net — in sport
  12. degree — from a university
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. kick — in football
  15. degree — temperature
  16. tear — from crying
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. degree — an amount
  19. scale — size or range
  20. date — the fruit
  21. branch — a division
  22. scale — in music
  23. net — after costs
  24. date — on the calendar

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