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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: current · fan · board · content · wind · jam · branch · ground

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. branch — a division
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. ground — crushed
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. content — the amount
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. current — electric
  12. ground — the earth
  13. wind — moving air
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. current — happening now
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. board — a committee
  18. wind — moving air
  19. ground — a position
  20. board — to get on
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. current — of water
  24. content — happy

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