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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 116 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: firm · nail · march · game · branch · current · cell · squash

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. firm — a company
  3. current — happening now
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. branch — a division
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. squash — the sport
  9. current — electric
  10. march — music
  11. cell — a phone
  12. firm — decided
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. march — the month
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. firm — steady
  18. game — a match
  19. game — wild animals
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. cell — in biology
  22. march — the month
  23. current — of water
  24. squash — to crush

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