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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 120 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: court · branch · firm · season · file · bank · bark · current

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. bark — to shout
  3. court — of law
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. current — of water
  6. bank — for money
  7. firm — decided
  8. season — of the year
  9. court — for sport
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. firm — steady
  12. file — a document
  13. court — of a king
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. season — in sport
  16. current — electric
  17. branch — a division
  18. bank — of a river
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. firm — a company
  21. file — a tool
  22. file — a line of people
  23. bank — for money
  24. season — to add flavour

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