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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: present · current · tear · rule · branch · season · land · bark

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. present — a gift
  3. present — there
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. land — a country
  6. land — ground
  7. tear — from crying
  8. rule — government
  9. season — in sport
  10. branch — a division
  11. bark — to shout
  12. rule — a law
  13. land — to come down
  14. tear — to rip
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. current — electric
  19. season — of the year
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. current — happening now
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. present — the time now

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