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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. current — of water
  3. prune — to trim
  4. cold — not warm
  5. branch — a division
  6. mug — a cup
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. cold — an illness
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. present — the time now
  12. field — for sport
  13. field — a subject
  14. field — farmland
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. mug — to rob
  17. current — happening now
  18. mug — a face
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. present — there
  23. present — a gift
  24. ruler — for measuring

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