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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rush · trunk · temple · branch · wind · stock · degree · current

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  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. stock — shares
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. degree — an amount
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. stock — goods
  6. rush — hurry
  7. branch — a division
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. degree — temperature
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. degree — from a university
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. current — of water
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. current — happening now
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — moving air
  22. current — electric
  23. stock — a soup base
  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