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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: kid · rest · pass · mine · root · branch · current · saw

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. current — happening now
  3. root — the cause
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. kid — child
  6. mine — for digging
  7. branch — a division
  8. current — of water
  9. saw — the tool
  10. root — of a word
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. rest — a break
  13. rest — what's left
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. saw — the tool
  18. pass — a permit
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. current — electric
  22. rest — what's left
  23. root — of a plant
  24. kid — to tease

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