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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: race · current · branch · mark · season · clip · mouse · stock

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. branch — a division
  3. mark — a trace
  4. race — the arms race
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. current — electric
  7. race — humankind
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mark — a grade
  10. stock — goods
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. clip — for paper
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. current — of water
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. current — happening now
  17. stock — shares
  18. season — of the year
  19. clip — a video
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. clip — to cut
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. race — a contest

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