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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 116 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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. current — of water
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. staff — a stick
  6. current — electric
  7. cell — in biology
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. branch — a division
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. pound — a weight
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. fine — all right
  15. staff — employees
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. staff — employees
  18. cell — a phone
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. wound — an injury
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. wound — an injury
  23. fine — high quality
  24. current — happening now

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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