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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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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: race · band · pitch · branch · wind · bank · lie · current

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. bank — for money
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bank — of a river
  5. race — humankind
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. race — a contest
  8. band — a ring
  9. branch — a division
  10. current — happening now
  11. wind — moving air
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bank — for money
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. lie — to recline
  17. wind — moving air
  18. band — a music group
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. race — the arms race
  22. pitch — completely
  23. current — electric
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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