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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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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: branch · prune · current · degree · ball · fall · cue · hand

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. prune — to trim
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hand — in cards
  7. prune — to trim
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — to drop
  10. ball — a great time
  11. fall — the season
  12. current — of water
  13. degree — from a university
  14. branch — a division
  15. degree — temperature
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. cue — a hint
  18. hand — help
  19. current — electric
  20. degree — an amount
  21. cue — a signal
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. ball — a dance
  24. cue — for pool

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