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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: current · season · date · bay · bore · branch · hand · cabinet

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. current — electric
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. season — of the year
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. current — of water
  11. hand — in cards
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. season — in sport
  16. bore — to drill
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — the fruit
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. branch — a division
  22. bore — to tire
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. hand — help

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