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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. land — a country
  3. ball — a dance
  4. branch — a division
  5. pit — a hole
  6. fall — the season
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. current — electric
  9. land — to come down
  10. bass — low music
  11. current — happening now
  12. bass — the fish
  13. tube — the underground
  14. fall — to drop
  15. land — ground
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. ball — a great time
  18. fall — to drop
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. tube — a container
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. pit — in a race

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