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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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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: degree · file · can · branch · wax · temple · hand · pit

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. can — a tin
  4. file — a line of people
  5. file — a document
  6. hand — help
  7. can — to be able to
  8. file — a tool
  9. degree — temperature
  10. degree — an amount
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. pit — a hole
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. branch — a division
  16. degree — from a university
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. hand — in cards
  19. pit — in a race
  20. wax — to grow
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. can — a tin

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