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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 116 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: race · press · bark · branch · craft · current · degree · hand

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. bark — to shout
  4. press — to push
  5. press — a publisher
  6. hand — help
  7. current — electric
  8. degree — temperature
  9. race — the arms race
  10. branch — a division
  11. race — a contest
  12. hand — in cards
  13. craft — boats
  14. current — happening now
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. press — newspapers
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. race — humankind
  19. craft — a skill
  20. degree — an amount
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. degree — from a university
  23. current — of water
  24. bark — of a tree

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