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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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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: shower · branch · firm · current · wind · pitcher · bank · wound

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. shower — to wash
  3. bank — for money
  4. wind — moving air
  5. branch — a division
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. bank — for money
  8. current — of water
  9. wind — moving air
  10. firm — decided
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. current — happening now
  13. shower — rain
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bank — of a river
  18. firm — a company
  19. wound — an injury
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. current — electric
  23. firm — steady
  24. wind — to turn a key

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