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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: branch · degree · mark · board · tube · march · suit · mate

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. mate — to breed
  6. march — music
  7. tube — the underground
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. degree — from a university
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. march — the month
  13. suit — in cards
  14. board — a committee
  15. mate — a friend
  16. march — the month
  17. suit — to fit
  18. suit — clothes
  19. degree — temperature
  20. branch — a division
  21. mate — a partner
  22. mark — a trace
  23. board — to get on
  24. tube — a container

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