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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 120 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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. last — final
  3. present — there
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. last — to go on
  6. present — a gift
  7. wind — moving air
  8. last — finally
  9. suit — to fit
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. branch — a division
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. suit — in cards
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. current — of water
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. pop — music
  19. suit — clothes
  20. pop — soda
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. current — happening now
  23. present — the time now
  24. current — electric

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