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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: board · branch · fan · object · bowl · degree · can · kid

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. degree — from a university
  4. can — to be able to
  5. branch — a division
  6. board — a committee
  7. degree — temperature
  8. kid — to tease
  9. object — to protest
  10. object — a thing
  11. object — an aim
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. can — a tin
  14. degree — an amount
  15. can — a tin
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. kid — child
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bowl — a football final

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