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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 120 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: trunk · clip · can · branch · rush · fall · pitcher · current

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. clip — to cut
  6. current — of water
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — to drop
  9. current — happening now
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. clip — for paper
  13. fall — the season
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — to be able to
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. current — electric
  21. clip — a video
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. can — a tin
  24. branch — a division

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