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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. scale — in music
  3. stand — to bear
  4. land — ground
  5. branch — a division
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. scale — size or range
  8. court — of law
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. track — a song
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. current — happening now
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — moving air
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. court — for sport
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. land — a country
  19. current — of water
  20. track — to keep track
  21. track — a path
  22. court — of a king
  23. current — electric
  24. scale — for weighing

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