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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 · court · net · capital · rock · ruler · branch · lean

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. net — after costs
  4. current — electric
  5. court — for sport
  6. rock — a stone
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. capital — a city
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. court — of a king
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. branch — a division
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. current — happening now
  16. current — of water
  17. lean — to bend
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. rock — music
  21. court — of law
  22. capital — money
  23. net — for catching
  24. lean — thin

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