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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: court · branch · band · key · saw · mate · current · clip

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. court — of a king
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. key — for a lock
  5. court — for sport
  6. clip — a video
  7. current — electric
  8. band — a ring
  9. court — of law
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. band — a music group
  12. clip — for paper
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. mate — a friend
  16. saw — the tool
  17. clip — to cut
  18. mate — a partner
  19. key — the most important part
  20. mate — to breed
  21. branch — a division
  22. saw — the tool
  23. current — happening now
  24. current — of water

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