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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: branch · club · date · key · pass · land · current · wound

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. club — a group
  3. key — in music
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. current — of water
  6. key — for a lock
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. wound — an injury
  9. current — happening now
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. branch — a division
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. wound — an injury
  15. date — the fruit
  16. club — for golf
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. key — the most important part
  19. land — to come down
  20. pass — a permit
  21. current — electric
  22. land — a country
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. club — for dancing

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