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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: wake · degree · bowl · squash · branch · foot · snap · clip

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. squash — to crush
  4. foot — a measure
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. squash — the sport
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. branch — a division
  10. degree — from a university
  11. degree — temperature
  12. degree — an amount
  13. wake — a trail
  14. clip — a video
  15. clip — for paper
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. snap — to click
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. clip — to cut

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