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

Word bank: current · bear · swing · stick · tear · bat · degree · branch

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. tear — to rip
  5. bat — the animal
  6. swing — music
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. current — happening now
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. degree — temperature
  12. bear — the animal
  13. tear — from crying
  14. degree — from a university
  15. current — of water
  16. degree — an amount
  17. bear — the animal
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. swing — to play on
  21. tear — from crying
  22. branch — a division
  23. current — electric
  24. bat — in an idiom

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