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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. can — a tin
  3. season — of the year
  4. current — electric
  5. rash — a series
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. mark — a grade
  10. cell — a phone
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. content — the amount
  13. season — in sport
  14. rash — hasty
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. branch — a division
  17. cell — in biology
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. can — to be able to
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. content — happy
  22. can — a tin
  23. current — of water
  24. mark — a trace

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