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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 120 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: club · object · racket · cold · snap · cell · current · branch

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. current — happening now
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. current — electric
  8. object — an aim
  9. cell — a phone
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. cell — in biology
  12. cold — an illness
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. branch — a division
  16. object — to protest
  17. current — of water
  18. club — for dancing
  19. club — for golf
  20. object — a thing
  21. club — a group
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. cold — not warm
  24. snap — to click

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