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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: pass · stock · net · rest · branch · current · fan · cell

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. cell — in biology
  3. net — in sport
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. stock — goods
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — a break
  10. branch — a division
  11. current — electric
  12. rest — what's left
  13. net — after costs
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. current — happening now
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. current — of water
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. net — for catching
  21. cell — a phone
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. pass — a permit
  24. stock — shares

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