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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. season — of the year
  4. clip — a video
  5. key — for a lock
  6. current — electric
  7. branch — a division
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. clip — for paper
  11. key — in music
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. current — happening now
  14. clip — to cut
  15. mug — a cup
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. mug — a face
  18. chest — a box
  19. key — the most important part
  20. chest — of your body
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. season — in sport
  23. mug — to rob
  24. chest — of your body

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