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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: bay · land · racket · current · branch · wound · wake · shower

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. land — ground
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. wound — an injury
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. shower — to wash
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. current — of water
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. land — a country
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. current — electric
  16. wake — a trail
  17. shower — rain
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. current — happening now
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. land — to come down
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. branch — of a tree

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