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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. current — happening now
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. mate — to breed
  8. mate — a friend
  9. current — electric
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. dip — to sink
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wound — an injury
  15. game — a match
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. wound — an injury
  18. face — to confront
  19. game — wild animals
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. mate — a partner
  22. face — to point toward
  23. branch — a division
  24. face — part of the head

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