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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: club · staff · leaves · branch · last · deal · net · current

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. staff — a stick
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. staff — employees
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. current — electric
  8. club — for golf
  9. last — final
  10. branch — a division
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. deal — to handle
  13. last — to go on
  14. staff — employees
  15. net — after costs
  16. net — for catching
  17. net — in sport
  18. last — finally
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. club — for dancing
  22. current — happening now
  23. club — a group
  24. branch — of a bank

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