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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 120 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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. track — a song
  3. squash — to crush
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. current — happening now
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. track — a path
  10. squash — the sport
  11. fork — in a road
  12. game — wild animals
  13. current — electric
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. game — a match
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — for light
  20. track — to keep track
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. current — of water
  24. branch — of a bank

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