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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 116 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: game · lie · fan · bowl · branch · stick · current · net

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. lie — to recline
  3. net — in sport
  4. branch — a division
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. net — for catching
  7. game — a match
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. current — electric
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. net — after costs
  16. game — wild animals
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. current — happening now
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. current — of water
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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