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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: coach · bass · degree · root · current · branch · hand · hide

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. degree — an amount
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. root — of a plant
  6. degree — from a university
  7. current — of water
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bass — the fish
  10. current — electric
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. hand — in cards
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. root — the cause
  15. bass — low music
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. root — of a word
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. degree — temperature
  22. branch — a division
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. hand — help

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