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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: bass · mouse · jam · branch · field · current · club · fan

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. current — happening now
  3. club — a group
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. bass — low music
  8. branch — a division
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. field — for sport
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. current — of water
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. field — farmland
  18. club — for dancing
  19. current — electric
  20. club — for golf
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. bass — the fish
  24. field — a subject

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