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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: hand · pound · current · bass · branch · tube · board · spell

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. pound — a weight
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — in cards
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. tube — the underground
  8. spell — letters
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. hand — help
  13. board — to get on
  14. board — a committee
  15. current — electric
  16. bass — the fish
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. spell — magic
  19. tube — a container
  20. bass — low music
  21. spell — a short time
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. current — happening now
  24. branch — a division

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