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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: bore · spring · track · pit · branch · current · last · swing

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. pit — a hole
  3. spring — a coil
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. branch — a division
  7. bore — to drill
  8. current — electric
  9. last — to go on
  10. spring — of water
  11. current — of water
  12. current — happening now
  13. swing — in golf
  14. bore — to tire
  15. swing — music
  16. track — a song
  17. track — a path
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. swing — to play on
  20. pit — in a race
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. spring — the season
  23. last — finally
  24. last — final

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