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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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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: degree · dip · wind · race · bore · branch · press · ruler

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. race — a contest
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. degree — an amount
  6. degree — from a university
  7. bore — to drill
  8. race — humankind
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. press — a publisher
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. press — newspapers
  13. wind — moving air
  14. race — the arms race
  15. bore — to tire
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. degree — temperature
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. press — to push
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. dip — to sink
  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