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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. pop — soda
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. current — happening now
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. current — electric
  9. swing — to play on
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. pop — to visit
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. pop — music
  14. swing — in golf
  15. branch — a division
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. swing — music
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. bass — low music
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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