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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. current — happening now
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. degree — from a university
  5. mine — for digging
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. degree — an amount
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. current — of water
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. bulb — for light
  13. mate — to breed
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. current — electric
  16. bore — to drill
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. mate — a partner
  19. branch — a division
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bulb — for light
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mate — a friend
  24. degree — temperature

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