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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: bulb · bay · arm · band · mouse · branch · current · degree

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. branch — a division
  3. degree — an amount
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. degree — from a university
  9. band — a music group
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. current — of water
  14. degree — temperature
  15. current — electric
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. bulb — for light
  18. band — a ring
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. bulb — for light
  24. band — a rubber band

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