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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 · branch · craft · wound · fall · chair · current · file

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  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. fall — the season
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. craft — boats
  5. file — a line of people
  6. file — a tool
  7. craft — a skill
  8. current — of water
  9. branch — a division
  10. fall — to drop
  11. wound — an injury
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. current — electric
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. fall — to drop
  18. chair — a leader
  19. wound — an injury
  20. file — a document
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. branch — of a tree
  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