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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. degree — an amount
  6. bulb — for light
  7. degree — from a university
  8. mine — for digging
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. cell — in biology
  11. firm — steady
  12. current — happening now
  13. branch — a division
  14. current — of water
  15. cell — a phone
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. current — electric
  18. bulb — for light
  19. firm — a company
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. degree — temperature
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. firm — decided

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