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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 · chip · staff · current · spring · branch · mine · drill

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. staff — employees
  3. current — of water
  4. drill — army training
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mine — for digging
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. drill — a practice
  10. bass — the fish
  11. chip — for betting
  12. spring — a coil
  13. chip — to eat
  14. bass — low music
  15. drill — the tool
  16. staff — a stick
  17. staff — employees
  18. spring — of water
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. current — electric
  23. spring — the season
  24. branch — a division

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