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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. wind — moving air
  3. current — electric
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. degree — temperature
  7. wound — an injury
  8. rock — a stone
  9. current — of water
  10. degree — an amount
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. current — happening now
  13. bulb — for light
  14. rock — music
  15. bulb — for light
  16. branch — a division
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. degree — from a university
  20. wind — moving air
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wind — to turn a key

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