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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: leaves · branch · drill · can · tear · degree · game · firm

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. branch — a division
  3. firm — steady
  4. drill — army training
  5. game — wild animals
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — from crying
  8. firm — a company
  9. drill — the tool
  10. can — a tin
  11. degree — temperature
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. degree — from a university
  15. can — to be able to
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. drill — a practice
  18. game — a match
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. firm — decided
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. can — a tin
  24. tear — to rip

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