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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: staff · game · spring · date · current · track · branch · pit

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  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. date — on the calendar
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. staff — a stick
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. current — happening now
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. staff — employees
  9. track — a song
  10. spring — of water
  11. staff — employees
  12. branch — a division
  13. date — the fruit
  14. pit — a hole
  15. current — of water
  16. game — wild animals
  17. track — to keep track
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. spring — a coil
  20. current — electric
  21. pit — in a race
  22. spring — the season
  23. game — a match
  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