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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.

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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: can · branch · deal · drill · shower · safe · race · degree

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. can — to be able to
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. race — the arms race
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. degree — from a university
  8. degree — temperature
  9. drill — army training
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. race — a contest
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. drill — the tool
  15. degree — an amount
  16. branch — a division
  17. drill — a practice
  18. shower — rain
  19. shower — to wash
  20. can — a tin
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. race — humankind
  23. can — a tin
  24. deal — to handle

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