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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: rock · club · land · game · jam · current · tube · branch

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. tube — the underground
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. rock — a stone
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. current — electric
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. game — wild animals
  9. club — for dancing
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. current — happening now
  12. land — a country
  13. branch — a division
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. tube — a container
  16. game — a match
  17. club — for golf
  18. club — a group
  19. rock — music
  20. land — ground
  21. current — of water
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. branch — of a bank

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