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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.

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: branch · game · deal · date · degree · land · temple · kid

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. degree — an amount
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. land — ground
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. degree — temperature
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. deal — to handle
  13. land — a country
  14. kid — to tease
  15. game — a match
  16. date — the fruit
  17. branch — a division
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. kid — child
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. game — wild animals
  24. degree — from a university

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