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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: degree · rash · press · mine · wax · branch · charge · hand

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. branch — a division
  3. degree — temperature
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. wax — to grow
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. charge — in control
  8. hand — help
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. mine — for digging
  14. rash — hasty
  15. press — newspapers
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. press — to push
  18. charge — a price
  19. hand — in cards
  20. charge — electricity
  21. press — a publisher
  22. degree — an amount
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. degree — from a university

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