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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 124 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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. object — to protest
  3. current — of water
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. degree — an amount
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. shower — to wash
  8. degree — from a university
  9. mate — a partner
  10. degree — temperature
  11. object — a thing
  12. mate — to breed
  13. object — an aim
  14. ground — crushed
  15. branch — a division
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. shower — rain
  20. ground — a position
  21. current — happening now
  22. ground — the earth
  23. mate — a friend
  24. current — electric

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