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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 · bass · degree · cap · press · row · face · stem

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. branch — a division
  4. cap — of ice
  5. face — to point toward
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. face — part of the head
  8. row — a line
  9. degree — an amount
  10. press — newspapers
  11. press — a publisher
  12. press — to push
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. cap — a hat
  16. stem — to come from
  17. bass — the fish
  18. face — to confront
  19. bass — low music
  20. cap — a lid
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. row — to paddle
  23. degree — temperature
  24. row — a quarrel

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