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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: shower · track · spring · current · deal · foot · chair · branch

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. chair — a leader
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. track — to keep track
  8. spring — of water
  9. track — a song
  10. current — electric
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. track — a path
  14. spring — a coil
  15. branch — a division
  16. current — happening now
  17. shower — rain
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. deal — to handle
  21. current — of water
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. spring — the season
  24. shower — to wash

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