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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. game — a match
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. degree — an amount
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. degree — temperature
  8. branch — a division
  9. current — electric
  10. track — a path
  11. degree — from a university
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. track — a song
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. current — of water
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. current — happening now
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. track — to keep track
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. cabinet — ministers

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