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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. firm — steady
  3. firm — a company
  4. bulb — for light
  5. current — happening now
  6. degree — from a university
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. cap — a hat
  9. current — of water
  10. bulb — for light
  11. current — electric
  12. cap — of ice
  13. deal — to handle
  14. cap — a lid
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. firm — decided
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. branch — a division
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. degree — an amount
  22. degree — temperature
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. bulb — of a plant

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