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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 · season · clip · pit · degree · wound · content · charge

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. degree — temperature
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — an injury
  6. season — in sport
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. degree — an amount
  11. content — the amount
  12. clip — for paper
  13. branch — a division
  14. content — happy
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. pit — in a race
  17. clip — to cut
  18. charge — electricity
  19. degree — from a university
  20. pit — a hole
  21. charge — a price
  22. charge — in control
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. clip — a video

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