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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: current · fan · mate · calf · branch · wind · hide · snap

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. snap — to click
  4. mate — to breed
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. wind — moving air
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. current — happening now
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. branch — a division
  15. current — of water
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. current — electric
  18. mate — a friend
  19. wind — moving air
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. wind — to turn a key

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