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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. current — electric
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. mark — a grade
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. drill — the tool
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. current — of water
  9. mark — a trace
  10. drill — a practice
  11. branch — a division
  12. drill — army training
  13. current — happening now
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. row — to paddle
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. coach — a trainer

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