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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 120 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: degree · squash · can · snap · branch · mine · kick · stem

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. branch — a division
  3. degree — an amount
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. squash — the sport
  7. degree — from a university
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. degree — temperature
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. kick — in football
  13. squash — to crush
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — a tin
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. stem — to come from
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. can — to be able to
  24. mine — belonging to me

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