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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. current — happening now
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. spring — a coil
  5. band — a music group
  6. shower — rain
  7. face — to confront
  8. current — of water
  9. band — a ring
  10. face — to point toward
  11. shower — to wash
  12. current — electric
  13. branch — a division
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — for catching
  16. spring — of water
  17. degree — an amount
  18. degree — temperature
  19. face — part of the head
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. net — after costs
  22. degree — from a university
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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