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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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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: branch · current · kid · cue · last · straw · temple · wind

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. last — final
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. wind — moving air
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. kid — child
  9. branch — a division
  10. cue — a hint
  11. current — of water
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. current — electric
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. last — finally
  17. cue — a signal
  18. current — happening now
  19. kid — to tease
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. wind — moving air
  22. cue — for pool
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. last — to go on

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