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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.

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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: branch · bore · trunk · pound · current · bay · race · charge

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. branch — a division
  3. bore — to drill
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. bore — to tire
  8. current — happening now
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. charge — in control
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. pound — a weight
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. charge — electricity
  17. current — of water
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. race — humankind
  20. current — electric
  21. race — a contest
  22. charge — a price
  23. race — the arms race
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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