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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: stick · key · spring · current · row · squash · clip · branch

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. clip — to cut
  3. current — happening now
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. key — the most important part
  6. squash — to crush
  7. spring — the season
  8. row — a line
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. key — for a lock
  11. branch — a division
  12. key — in music
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. row — to paddle
  15. current — of water
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. spring — of water
  18. clip — for paper
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. spring — a coil
  23. squash — the sport
  24. current — electric

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