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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. rule — a law
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. shower — rain
  7. shower — to wash
  8. ball — a great time
  9. plane — a tool
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. snap — to click
  14. current — electric
  15. degree — an amount
  16. rule — government
  17. current — of water
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. current — happening now
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. branch — a division
  22. degree — temperature
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. ball — a dance

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