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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: chair · current · can · cap · mug · bank · branch · craft

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. cap — a lid
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — to be able to
  6. mug — to rob
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. mug — a face
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. branch — a division
  11. chair — a leader
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. current — electric
  14. bank — for money
  15. craft — boats
  16. craft — a skill
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. cap — a hat
  19. bank — for money
  20. current — of water
  21. cap — of ice
  22. bank — of a river
  23. mug — a cup
  24. current — happening now

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