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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: season · bulb · file · mark · content · cue · branch · current

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. file — a tool
  3. current — electric
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. cue — a signal
  6. current — of water
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. mark — a trace
  11. cue — for pool
  12. content — happy
  13. season — in sport
  14. content — the amount
  15. file — a document
  16. current — happening now
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. bulb — for light
  19. file — a line of people
  20. season — of the year
  21. mark — a grade
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. branch — a division
  24. branch — of a tree

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