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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · straw · branch · race · prune · present · current · land

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. current — of water
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. degree — temperature
  6. present — there
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. land — to come down
  9. prune — to trim
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. prune — to trim
  12. current — electric
  13. degree — an amount
  14. present — a gift
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. race — a contest
  17. race — the arms race
  18. branch — a division
  19. current — happening now
  20. land — ground
  21. race — humankind
  22. land — a country
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. degree — from a university

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