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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 · fall · degree · bank · mate · chip · arm · straw

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. current — happening now
  3. chip — for betting
  4. mate — a friend
  5. bank — for money
  6. degree — temperature
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. mate — to breed
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. degree — an amount
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. bank — of a river
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — the season
  15. degree — from a university
  16. current — of water
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. bank — for money
  19. current — electric
  20. chip — to eat
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. fall — to drop
  24. mate — a partner

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