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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: current · spring · rule · branch · cell · track · file · racket

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. branch — a division
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. spring — a coil
  8. current — of water
  9. track — to keep track
  10. cell — a phone
  11. current — electric
  12. track — a song
  13. rule — government
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. spring — of water
  16. file — a line of people
  17. file — a tool
  18. rule — a law
  19. cell — in biology
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. spring — the season
  22. file — a document
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. track — a path

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