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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. current — electric
  3. bear — the animal
  4. kid — child
  5. current — happening now
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. sharp — clever
  8. bear — the animal
  9. saw — the tool
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. kid — to tease
  14. current — of water
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. saw — the tool
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. branch — a division
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. sharp — exactly

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