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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.

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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: court · hand · bore · dip · rock · degree · bass · branch

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. court — of a king
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. hand — in cards
  5. hand — help
  6. bass — low music
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. degree — from a university
  10. bore — to tire
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. dip — to sink
  13. degree — an amount
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. rock — a stone
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. degree — temperature
  18. branch — a division
  19. court — for sport
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. court — of law
  23. bore — to drill
  24. rock — music

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