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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: band · game · capital · net · bulb · branch · current · drill

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. branch — a division
  3. current — happening now
  4. net — in sport
  5. current — of water
  6. drill — a practice
  7. bulb — for light
  8. game — a match
  9. current — electric
  10. net — after costs
  11. capital — money
  12. net — for catching
  13. band — a music group
  14. drill — army training
  15. game — wild animals
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. drill — the tool
  18. band — a ring
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. capital — a city
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. capital — a big letter

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