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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. rule — government
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. current — happening now
  5. rule — a law
  6. pitch — completely
  7. root — of a plant
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. file — a line of people
  10. dip — to sink
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. band — a ring
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. file — a document
  16. current — electric
  17. band — a music group
  18. file — a tool
  19. root — of a word
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. root — the cause
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. branch — a division
  24. band — a rubber band

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