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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. court — for sport
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. current — of water
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. lean — to bend
  8. branch — a division
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. lean — thin
  12. bore — to drill
  13. court — of law
  14. current — electric
  15. stock — shares
  16. sharp — clever
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. court — of a king
  21. stock — goods
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bore — to tire
  24. fan — a supporter

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