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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stick · current · chest · roll · rash · stand · trunk · branch

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. rash — hasty
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. current — of water
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. chest — a box
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. branch — a division
  10. roll — a list
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. current — electric
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stand — to bear
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. current — happening now
  20. rash — a series
  21. roll — a cake
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — of your body

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