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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: straw · calf · stick · bear · current · march · chair · bank

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  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. chair — a professorship
  2. bear — the animal
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. bank — for money
  5. current — electric
  6. bank — of a river
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. bear — the animal
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. march — the month
  15. bank — for money
  16. chair — a leader
  17. current — of water
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. march — the month
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. march — music
  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