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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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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. current — of water
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. season — of the year
  8. charge — a price
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bank — of a river
  11. shower — to wash
  12. current — happening now
  13. charge — electricity
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. clip — a video
  16. charge — in control
  17. current — electric
  18. clip — to cut
  19. branch — a division
  20. bank — for money
  21. shower — rain
  22. season — in sport
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. clip — for paper

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