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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: lie · mate · branch · rock · sharp · degree · cabinet · capital

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. mate — to breed
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. rock — a stone
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. capital — money
  9. capital — a city
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. mate — a friend
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. degree — an amount
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. rock — music
  18. sharp — clever
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. mate — a partner
  21. degree — from a university
  22. branch — a division
  23. lie — to recline
  24. cabinet — ministers

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