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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: bound · track · branch · row · shower · degree · current · wake

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. degree — from a university
  3. branch — a division
  4. row — a line
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. degree — an amount
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. track — a path
  9. shower — to wash
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. bound — certain
  12. wake — a trail
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. track — to keep track
  15. track — a song
  16. current — electric
  17. row — to paddle
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. current — of water
  20. current — happening now
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. bound — obliged
  23. shower — rain
  24. bound — tied together

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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