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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: rest · wound · branch · degree · stem · rock · capital · pitcher

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. branch — a division
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. rock — a stone
  6. capital — money
  7. stem — to come from
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. wound — an injury
  10. degree — an amount
  11. rest — what's left
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. rest — what's left
  17. capital — a city
  18. degree — from a university
  19. rock — music
  20. degree — temperature
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. rest — a break
  24. wound — an injury

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