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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. clip — for paper
  3. band — a ring
  4. clip — a video
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. tube — the underground
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. current — of water
  11. ball — a great time
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. band — a music group
  14. deal — to handle
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. current — happening now
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. branch — a division
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. ball — a dance
  22. tube — a container
  23. clip — to cut
  24. deal — an agreement

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