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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: fall · chest · roll · branch · key · leaves · spring · current

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. current — of water
  3. spring — the season
  4. current — electric
  5. key — for a lock
  6. spring — a coil
  7. key — the most important part
  8. fall — to drop
  9. roll — a list
  10. current — happening now
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. chest — of your body
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. fall — the season
  15. fall — to drop
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. chest — of your body
  18. roll — a cake
  19. branch — a division
  20. chest — a box
  21. spring — of water
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. leaves — of a tree

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