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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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. safe — out of danger
  4. mate — a friend
  5. mate — a partner
  6. current — electric
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. degree — from a university
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. current — happening now
  12. prune — to trim
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bark — to shout
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. mate — to breed
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. current — of water

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