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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 116 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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. current — electric
  3. scale — size or range
  4. craft — boats
  5. scale — in music
  6. net — in sport
  7. land — a country
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. craft — a skill
  10. root — the cause
  11. shower — rain
  12. land — ground
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. branch — a division
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. shower — to wash
  18. root — of a plant
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. net — after costs
  21. root — of a word
  22. net — for catching
  23. current — of water
  24. land — to come down

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