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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: degree · branch · cabinet · squash · season · current · hide · club

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. degree — an amount
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. club — a group
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. degree — temperature
  7. degree — from a university
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. season — of the year
  12. club — for golf
  13. club — for dancing
  14. squash — to crush
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. current — happening now
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. squash — the sport
  19. season — in sport
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. current — electric
  24. branch — a division

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