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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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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 · rest · wound · firm · chip · branch · stand · club

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. wound — an injury
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. degree — temperature
  5. degree — from a university
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. club — for dancing
  9. club — a group
  10. chip — to eat
  11. firm — decided
  12. rest — a break
  13. rest — what's left
  14. club — for golf
  15. rest — what's left
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. stand — to bear
  18. branch — a division
  19. firm — a company
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. wound — an injury
  23. chip — for betting
  24. degree — an amount

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