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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: branch · can · cold · deal · saw · stock · degree · cabinet

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. can — to be able to
  4. cold — not warm
  5. deal — to handle
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. saw — the tool
  9. can — a tin
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. saw — the tool
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. cold — an illness
  15. stock — shares
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. degree — from a university
  18. can — a tin
  19. branch — a division
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. degree — an amount
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. stock — goods
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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