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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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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 · pound · shower · fall · cabinet · field · rest · degree

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. branch — a division
  4. pound — a weight
  5. rest — what's left
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. degree — temperature
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. field — a subject
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. shower — to wash
  12. rest — what's left
  13. fall — to drop
  14. shower — rain
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. degree — an amount
  17. rest — a break
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. field — for sport
  20. fall — the season
  21. fall — to drop
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. degree — from a university
  24. field — farmland

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