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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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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: sharp · straw · current · clip · stick · craft · cell · branch

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. current — of water
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. craft — boats
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. current — happening now
  10. current — electric
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. craft — a skill
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. cell — a phone
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. clip — to cut
  19. cell — in biology
  20. clip — a video
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. sharp — clever
  24. clip — for paper

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