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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: land · bank · chair · racket · current · nail · roll · prune

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. bank — for money
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. roll — a cake
  8. chair — a leader
  9. roll — a list
  10. land — to come down
  11. current — of water
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. land — ground
  15. bank — of a river
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. land — a country
  21. bank — for money
  22. prune — to trim
  23. current — electric
  24. current — happening now

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