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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: drill · branch · degree · lie · craft · pass · stock · pitcher

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. stock — goods
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. drill — a practice
  9. degree — an amount
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. branch — a division
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. stock — shares
  16. pass — a permit
  17. lie — to recline
  18. craft — a skill
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. craft — boats
  21. degree — from a university
  22. drill — army training
  23. drill — the tool
  24. branch — of a tree

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