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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: kid · branch · temple · wake · degree · foot · mug · straw

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. degree — an amount
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. degree — from a university
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. mug — a face
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. wake — a trail
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. mug — to rob
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. kid — child
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. kid — to tease
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. mug — a cup
  23. foot — a measure
  24. degree — temperature

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