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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: club · branch · wind · drill · current · bat · sharp · key

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. club — a group
  3. club — for dancing
  4. wind — moving air
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. drill — a practice
  8. bat — the animal
  9. club — for golf
  10. current — of water
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. key — the most important part
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. drill — army training
  15. branch — a division
  16. sharp — clever
  17. key — in music
  18. current — electric
  19. current — happening now
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. key — for a lock
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. drill — the tool

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