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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: bear · mine · squash · stick · branch · chair · degree · tube

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. branch — a division
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. chair — a leader
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. tube — a container
  9. degree — from a university
  10. squash — to crush
  11. mine — for digging
  12. degree — an amount
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. bear — the animal
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. bear — the animal
  18. tube — the underground
  19. squash — the sport
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. branch — of a bank

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