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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: march · current · land · branch · root · ball · wind · file

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. wind — moving air
  3. file — a tool
  4. file — a document
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. root — the cause
  7. root — of a word
  8. current — happening now
  9. ball — a dance
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. current — electric
  12. march — music
  13. current — of water
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. branch — a division
  16. march — the month
  17. root — of a plant
  18. ball — a great time
  19. land — ground
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. land — to come down
  22. march — the month
  23. wind — moving air
  24. file — a line of people

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