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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 116 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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. rash — hasty
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. degree — from a university
  9. bass — low music
  10. degree — an amount
  11. rash — a series
  12. band — a music group
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. current — happening now
  15. degree — temperature
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. band — a ring
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. current — of water
  22. branch — a division
  23. pound — a weight
  24. bass — the fish

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