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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: root · swing · current · branch · present · content · rest · coach

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  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. current — happening now
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. root — of a word
  5. content — happy
  6. swing — music
  7. present — there
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. swing — to play on
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. content — the amount
  12. rest — a break
  13. present — a gift
  14. current — electric
  15. root — of a plant
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. rest — what's left
  19. present — the time now
  20. rest — what's left
  21. swing — in golf
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. root — the cause
  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