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

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. charge — a price
  3. charge — in control
  4. ball — a dance
  5. degree — from a university
  6. degree — temperature
  7. degree — an amount
  8. prune — to trim
  9. branch — a division
  10. current — electric
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. stem — to come from
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. mine — for digging
  15. current — of water
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. current — happening now
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. charge — electricity
  23. ball — a great time
  24. mine — belonging to me

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