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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. court — of law
  6. court — of a king
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. current — electric
  9. degree — an amount
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. court — for sport
  12. degree — from a university
  13. bear — the animal
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. branch — a division
  17. current — of water
  18. cell — in biology
  19. mark — a trace
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. mark — a grade
  22. bear — the animal
  23. degree — temperature
  24. current — happening now

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