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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: rock · fine · ground · scale · trunk · current · cold · branch

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. ground — crushed
  3. cold — not warm
  4. scale — size or range
  5. scale — in music
  6. ground — a position
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. current — of water
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. ground — the earth
  12. rock — music
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. current — electric
  17. branch — a division
  18. rock — a stone
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. cold — an illness
  21. current — happening now
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. fine — high quality

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