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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: pit · degree · cue · branch · content · ball · stem · season

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. pit — a hole
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. branch — a division
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. season — of the year
  9. cue — for pool
  10. ball — a great time
  11. season — in sport
  12. degree — an amount
  13. content — happy
  14. degree — temperature
  15. cue — a hint
  16. stem — to come from
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. ball — a dance
  19. degree — from a university
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. pit — in a race
  23. content — the amount
  24. cue — a signal

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