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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: game · current · ground · branch · clip · rest · track · hide

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rest — what's left
  5. clip — for paper
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. track — to keep track
  8. clip — a video
  9. branch — a division
  10. game — wild animals
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. track — a song
  13. clip — to cut
  14. ground — a position
  15. game — a match
  16. ground — the earth
  17. current — electric
  18. current — of water
  19. rest — a break
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. current — happening now
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. track — a path
  24. hide — to keep secret

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