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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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Word bank
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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: mate · fine · can · bat · current · branch · tear · wound

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. wound — an injury
  4. fine — all right
  5. current — of water
  6. mate — a partner
  7. current — happening now
  8. tear — from crying
  9. wound — an injury
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. can — a tin
  12. tear — to rip
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. can — to be able to
  15. tear — from crying
  16. mate — to breed
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. fine — high quality
  20. can — a tin
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bat — the animal
  23. mate — a friend
  24. current — electric

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