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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: current · content · land · safe · fork · hand · branch · board

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. land — ground
  3. hand — help
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. hand — in cards
  6. fork — in a road
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. land — to come down
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. board — a committee
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. content — happy
  14. current — of water
  15. content — the amount
  16. land — a country
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. current — electric
  21. current — happening now
  22. board — to get on
  23. branch — a division
  24. branch — of a bank

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