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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: degree · rock · land · branch · arm · chest · bark · foot

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. foot — a measure
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. rock — music
  6. degree — from a university
  7. branch — a division
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. chest — of your body
  10. degree — temperature
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. degree — an amount
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. land — ground
  16. land — to come down
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. rock — a stone
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. land — a country
  23. chest — a box
  24. rock — to move gently

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