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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: chair · degree · branch · rock · rush · rest · temple · swing

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. degree — an amount
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. degree — temperature
  6. chair — a leader
  7. rest — what's left
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. rock — a stone
  11. rush — hurry
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. rock — music
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. rest — a break
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. swing — music
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rest — what's left
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. swing — to play on
  23. swing — in golf
  24. degree — from a university

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