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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: bat · row · land · current · branch · bay · degree · ball

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. current — of water
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. land — to come down
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. land — a country
  11. row — to paddle
  12. ball — a dance
  13. row — a line
  14. current — happening now
  15. degree — from a university
  16. bat — the animal
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. land — ground
  19. branch — a division
  20. degree — an amount
  21. current — electric
  22. degree — temperature
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. ball — a great time

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