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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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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 · current · branch · court · track · jam · stock · pitcher

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. branch — a division
  3. rock — music
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. court — of law
  10. stock — shares
  11. current — electric
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. track — a path
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. track — a song
  16. stock — goods
  17. court — for sport
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. track — to keep track
  20. rock — a stone
  21. court — of a king
  22. current — of water
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. current — happening now

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