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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 116 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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. bank — for money
  3. current — of water
  4. file — a document
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. file — a tool
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. scale — in music
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. bank — for money
  12. scale — size or range
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. band — a music group
  16. band — a ring
  17. file — a line of people
  18. current — happening now
  19. bank — of a river
  20. wind — moving air
  21. branch — a division
  22. sharp — clever
  23. current — electric
  24. wind — moving air

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