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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pound · current · saw · kid · branch · fan · staff · clip

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. staff — a stick
  4. current — electric
  5. pound — a weight
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. staff — employees
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. kid — child
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. staff — employees
  14. saw — the tool
  15. clip — for paper
  16. branch — a division
  17. clip — a video
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. current — happening now
  21. kid — to tease
  22. current — of water
  23. saw — the tool
  24. fan — to cool the air

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