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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cold · pit · cabinet · current · kick · branch

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. current — electric
  3. cold — not warm
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. kick — in football
  7. pit — a hole
  8. branch — a division
  9. current — of water
  10. pit — in a race
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. current — happening now
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. cabinet — ministers

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