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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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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 · branch · pound · press · kick · rash · arm · bay

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. pound — a weight
  4. degree — temperature
  5. degree — from a university
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rash — a series
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. degree — an amount
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. kick — in football
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. press — a publisher
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. branch — a division
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. press — to push
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. press — newspapers
  24. kick — with a leg

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