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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · content · temple · pound · fan · pass · band · branch

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. band — a music group
  5. current — electric
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. current — of water
  9. content — happy
  10. band — a ring
  11. pass — a permit
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. pound — a weight
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. current — happening now
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. content — the amount
  24. branch — a division

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