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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: branch · saw · tube · spell · kick · arm · fall · degree

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. saw — the tool
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. degree — temperature
  7. saw — the tool
  8. fall — to drop
  9. spell — letters
  10. spell — a short time
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. kick — in football
  13. fall — the season
  14. degree — an amount
  15. tube — a container
  16. branch — a division
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. degree — from a university
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. spell — magic
  23. fall — to drop
  24. arm — a part of something

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