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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 · fine · hand · staff · pit · season · branch · stock

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. fine — all right
  4. staff — employees
  5. pit — in a race
  6. season — in sport
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. hand — in cards
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. stock — shares
  11. season — of the year
  12. hand — help
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. staff — employees
  15. fine — high quality
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. stock — goods
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. branch — a division
  20. current — happening now
  21. pit — a hole
  22. current — electric
  23. current — of water
  24. branch — of a bank

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