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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: cold · pit · cabinet · current · kick · branch · sharp · bank

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. pit — in a race
  5. current — happening now
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. cold — not warm
  9. cold — an illness
  10. sharp — clever
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. bank — of a river
  16. bank — for money
  17. current — electric
  18. bank — for money
  19. pit — a hole
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. branch — a division
  24. current — of water

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