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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: wind · jam · cue · branch · current · track · last · craft

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. current — happening now
  3. last — finally
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. track — a path
  6. wind — moving air
  7. track — to keep track
  8. wind — moving air
  9. last — to go on
  10. track — a song
  11. branch — a division
  12. current — of water
  13. last — final
  14. cue — for pool
  15. craft — boats
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. craft — a skill
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. cue — a hint
  21. cue — a signal
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. craft — a handicraft

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