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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: season · prune · shower · current · pop · branch · scale · degree

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. current — electric
  3. scale — size or range
  4. pop — soda
  5. degree — temperature
  6. shower — rain
  7. prune — to trim
  8. degree — an amount
  9. scale — in music
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. season — in sport
  13. pop — to visit
  14. current — of water
  15. pop — music
  16. branch — a division
  17. current — happening now
  18. degree — from a university
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. season — of the year
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. shower — to wash
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. prune — to trim

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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