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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 · branch · last · current · court · cell · stock · lash

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. current — happening now
  3. bass — low music
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. stock — goods
  6. current — electric
  7. last — finally
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. branch — a division
  10. stock — shares
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — final
  15. court — for sport
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. court — of a king
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cell — a phone
  24. current — of water

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