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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. mug — to rob
  3. current — of water
  4. mug — a face
  5. court — of law
  6. fall — the season
  7. fall — to drop
  8. branch — a division
  9. fall — to drop
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. deal — to handle
  13. bass — the fish
  14. court — for sport
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. current — happening now
  17. bass — low music
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. season — of the year
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. season — in sport
  23. court — of a king
  24. mug — a cup

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