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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: branch · ball · bore · bowl · ground · degree · fine · firm

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bore — to drill
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. firm — a company
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. degree — an amount
  7. branch — a division
  8. firm — steady
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ground — the earth
  12. degree — from a university
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. bore — to tire
  16. fine — all right
  17. ball — a dance
  18. firm — decided
  19. ball — a great time
  20. ground — a position
  21. fine — high quality
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. ground — crushed
  24. degree — temperature

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