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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: swing · current · stock · key · ball · file · lean · branch

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. ball — a great time
  3. stock — shares
  4. lean — to bend
  5. branch — a division
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. key — for a lock
  8. file — a document
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. current — electric
  11. swing — music
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. file — a tool
  14. ball — a dance
  15. key — the most important part
  16. key — in music
  17. current — of water
  18. current — happening now
  19. stock — goods
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. file — a line of people
  22. swing — to play on
  23. swing — in golf
  24. lean — thin

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