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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: branch · pound · object · bear · cold · degree · foot · can

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. bear — the animal
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. bear — the animal
  5. can — a tin
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. can — to be able to
  8. object — a thing
  9. object — to protest
  10. degree — an amount
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. degree — from a university
  13. object — an aim
  14. cold — not warm
  15. cold — an illness
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. can — a tin
  18. pound — a weight
  19. degree — temperature
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. branch — a division
  22. foot — a measure
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. cold — the Cold War

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