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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.

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: bound · calf · band · kid · mine · degree · branch · hide

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. kid — to tease
  3. degree — temperature
  4. degree — from a university
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. band — a music group
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. bound — tied together
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. degree — an amount
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. mine — for digging
  19. bound — certain
  20. bound — obliged
  21. kid — child
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. branch — a division

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