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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: deal · spring · wave · branch · chip · nail · current · tube

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  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. deal — an agreement
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. tube — the underground
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. chip — for betting
  6. current — of water
  7. branch — a division
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. spring — a coil
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. tube — a container
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. chip — to eat
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. deal — to handle
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. current — electric
  21. spring — of water
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. spring — the season
  24. current — happening now

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