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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: land · toast · last · branch · pound · racket · current · roll

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. last — finally
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. land — ground
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. land — a country
  8. branch — a division
  9. last — to go on
  10. current — of water
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. roll — a list
  14. roll — a cake
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. current — happening now
  18. toast — bread
  19. land — to come down
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. last — final
  24. pound — a weight

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