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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: current · wound · kick · bound · staff · branch · tear · chip

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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 tree
  3. chip — to eat
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bound — tied together
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. staff — employees
  9. branch — a division
  10. chip — for betting
  11. current — happening now
  12. kick — in football
  13. bound — obliged
  14. tear — from crying
  15. wound — an injury
  16. staff — employees
  17. wound — an injury
  18. staff — a stick
  19. tear — to rip
  20. bound — certain
  21. current — electric
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. branch — of a bank

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