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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 · last · patient · foot · branch · straw · bark · snap

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. branch — a division
  4. current — electric
  5. bark — to shout
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. last — final
  8. current — of water
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. last — to go on
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. last — finally
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. current — happening now
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. snap — to click
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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