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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: season · trunk · foot · wind · branch · pass · bay · current

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. current — of water
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. pass — a permit
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. current — happening now
  15. season — of the year
  16. wind — moving air
  17. branch — a division
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. season — in sport
  20. foot — a measure
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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