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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. branch — a division
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. current — happening now
  5. current — of water
  6. net — in sport
  7. march — the month
  8. current — electric
  9. row — a line
  10. cap — a hat
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. march — the month
  13. net — for catching
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. deal — to handle
  17. net — after costs
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. cap — a lid
  20. row — to paddle
  21. cap — of ice
  22. march — music
  23. row — a quarrel
  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