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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 120 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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. degree — an amount
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. current — electric
  5. degree — temperature
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. row — to paddle
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. current — of water
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bear — the animal
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. row — a line
  18. branch — a division
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. fork — in a road
  21. lie — to recline
  22. bear — the animal
  23. current — happening now
  24. cell — in biology

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