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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: branch · bat · kid · object · face · current · cap · snap

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. snap — to click
  5. current — electric
  6. object — an aim
  7. branch — a division
  8. face — part of the head
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. cap — of ice
  11. cap — a lid
  12. bat — the animal
  13. cap — a hat
  14. current — of water
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. kid — to tease
  17. object — a thing
  18. face — to point toward
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. current — happening now
  21. object — to protest
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. kid — child
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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