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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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468
Word bank
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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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. racket — for tennis
  4. game — wild animals
  5. current — happening now
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. cold — not warm
  13. fine — all right
  14. roll — a list
  15. current — electric
  16. saw — the tool
  17. cold — an illness
  18. branch — a division
  19. saw — the tool
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. roll — a cake
  22. game — a match
  23. fine — high quality
  24. cold — the Cold War

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