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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: cold · branch · court · can · degree · cabinet · present · charge

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. court — for sport
  3. court — of law
  4. charge — electricity
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. present — a gift
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. charge — in control
  10. court — of a king
  11. degree — temperature
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — to be able to
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. degree — from a university
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. degree — an amount
  19. present — there
  20. charge — a price
  21. present — the time now
  22. cold — an illness
  23. cold — not warm
  24. can — a tin

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