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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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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: straw · branch · deal · snap · pit · chip · stick · current

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. current — electric
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. chip — to eat
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. pit — in a race
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. branch — a division
  16. deal — to handle
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. chip — for betting
  19. pit — a hole
  20. current — of water
  21. current — happening now
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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