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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 116 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: firm · bat · scale · leaves · branch · content · degree · hide

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  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. degree — an amount
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. firm — decided
  8. firm — steady
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. scale — in music
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. bat — the animal
  16. branch — a division
  17. content — the amount
  18. content — happy
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. degree — from a university
  22. firm — a company
  23. scale — size or range
  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