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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: band · spring · toast · branch · cabinet · last · current · wax

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. spring — the season
  4. toast — bread
  5. last — finally
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. band — a music group
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. current — of water
  13. last — final
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. spring — of water
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. wax — to grow
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. current — happening now
  20. last — to go on
  21. band — a ring
  22. branch — a division
  23. spring — a coil
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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