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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  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. current — electric
  2. rash — a series
  3. net — in sport
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. rash — hasty
  6. mate — a friend
  7. current — of water
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. current — happening now
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. net — for catching
  12. branch — a division
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. net — after costs
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. mate — a partner
  18. degree — temperature
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. degree — from a university
  21. mate — to breed
  22. chair — a leader
  23. degree — an amount
  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