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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: tube · track · current · chip · cold · game · degree · branch

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. branch — a division
  3. degree — from a university
  4. tube — the underground
  5. current — of water
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. track — to keep track
  9. chip — for betting
  10. game — wild animals
  11. degree — an amount
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. current — electric
  14. degree — temperature
  15. game — a match
  16. current — happening now
  17. track — a path
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. cold — not warm
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. track — a song
  22. cold — an illness
  23. tube — a container
  24. chip — to eat

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