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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. branch — a division
  5. saw — the tool
  6. current — electric
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. degree — an amount
  10. fork — in a road
  11. current — of water
  12. current — happening now
  13. roll — a cake
  14. bark — to shout
  15. roll — a list
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. saw — the tool
  22. degree — temperature
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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