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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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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: press · current · mark · wound · content · branch · rock · bound

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. content — happy
  3. rock — music
  4. bound — obliged
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. current — happening now
  7. current — of water
  8. wound — an injury
  9. press — newspapers
  10. current — electric
  11. press — to push
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. wound — an injury
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mark — a grade
  16. bound — tied together
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. bound — certain
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. rock — a stone
  21. branch — a division
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. content — the amount

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