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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. net — after costs
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. scale — size or range
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. current — of water
  8. date — the fruit
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. net — for catching
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. scale — in music
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. cell — a phone
  20. net — in sport
  21. current — electric
  22. cell — in biology
  23. branch — a division
  24. current — happening now

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