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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. land — to come down
  3. present — there
  4. present — a gift
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. land — a country
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. firm — decided
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. current — happening now
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. branch — a division
  13. current — electric
  14. kid — child
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. scale — in music
  17. scale — size or range
  18. firm — a company
  19. firm — steady
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. kid — to tease
  22. land — ground
  23. mine — for digging
  24. current — of water

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