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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: pop · present · saw · current · wake · branch · cap · wave

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. current — of water
  3. saw — the tool
  4. pop — music
  5. current — electric
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. saw — the tool
  8. cap — a lid
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. branch — a division
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. present — there
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wake — a trail
  17. cap — of ice
  18. current — happening now
  19. cap — a hat
  20. present — the time now
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. pop — soda
  24. present — a gift

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