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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. kid — to tease
  5. current — happening now
  6. rule — government
  7. bank — for money
  8. cell — in biology
  9. branch — a division
  10. cell — a phone
  11. kid — child
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. pop — to visit
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. current — of water
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. current — electric
  19. rule — a law
  20. bank — for money
  21. pop — soda
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. bank — of a river
  24. pop — music

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