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

Word bank: court · current · branch · present · lash · pop · arm · nail

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. pop — music
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. present — a gift
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. branch — a division
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. current — electric
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. present — the time now
  11. pop — soda
  12. current — of water
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. pop — to visit
  16. court — of law
  17. court — for sport
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. court — of a king
  23. current — happening now
  24. nail — for a hammer

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