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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. current — electric
  3. land — to come down
  4. pit — in a race
  5. current — happening now
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. branch — a division
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. pit — a hole
  11. band — a music group
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. current — of water
  17. squash — to crush
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. land — ground
  20. squash — the sport
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. band — a ring
  24. land — a country

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