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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: branch · current · fan · mate · season · bank · degree · row

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. degree — an amount
  3. bank — for money
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. row — to paddle
  6. mate — a partner
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bank — for money
  9. row — a line
  10. season — of the year
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. bank — of a river
  13. current — electric
  14. season — in sport
  15. current — of water
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. mate — to breed
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. current — happening now
  20. degree — temperature
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. branch — a division
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. mate — a friend

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