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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: band · branch · track · pitch · current · rush · kick · chair

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. track — a song
  3. track — a path
  4. current — happening now
  5. branch — a division
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. chair — a leader
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. rush — hurry
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. track — to keep track
  13. kick — in football
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. band — a ring
  17. current — of water
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. band — a music group
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. pitch — completely

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