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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 · branch · fall · lean · roll · bear · sharp · cold

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. current — of water
  5. current — happening now
  6. fall — to drop
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. current — electric
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. fall — to drop
  11. cold — not warm
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. roll — a cake
  14. branch — a division
  15. fall — the season
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. lean — to bend
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. bear — the animal
  20. sharp — clever
  21. roll — a list
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. cold — an illness
  24. lean — thin

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