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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. current — electric
  3. current — happening now
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. season — of the year
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. staff — a stick
  9. season — in sport
  10. bass — the fish
  11. present — there
  12. present — the time now
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. current — of water
  15. bass — low music
  16. rush — hurry
  17. staff — employees
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. wind — moving air
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. branch — a division
  22. present — a gift
  23. wind — moving air
  24. staff — employees

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