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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. current — of water
  5. present — there
  6. mate — a partner
  7. roll — a cake
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. current — happening now
  10. content — the amount
  11. branch — a division
  12. rule — a law
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. rule — government
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. roll — a list
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. present — the time now
  20. mate — a friend
  21. content — happy
  22. wound — an injury
  23. present — a gift
  24. mate — to breed

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