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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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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: bass · track · stand · racket · branch · current · fine · rule

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. fine — all right
  3. current — of water
  4. bass — low music
  5. current — electric
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. track — a song
  9. track — to keep track
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. stand — to bear
  15. current — happening now
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. bass — the fish
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. rule — a law
  21. branch — a division
  22. rule — government
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. track — a path

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