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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: lash · branch · band · chair · cap · straw · degree · stem

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. cap — a lid
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. cap — a hat
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. chair — a leader
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. band — a ring
  16. cap — of ice
  17. branch — a division
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. degree — temperature
  20. degree — from a university
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. band — a music group
  23. stem — to come from
  24. lash — to lash out

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