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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: rest · bay · cabinet · band · season · branch · degree · wound

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. wound — an injury
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. degree — from a university
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. branch — a division
  7. season — of the year
  8. band — a music group
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. degree — temperature
  14. season — in sport
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. rest — what's left
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. rest — what's left
  21. degree — an amount
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. band — a ring
  24. rest — a break

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