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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: sharp · branch · trunk · fall · bear · key · current · last

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. bear — the animal
  3. key — the most important part
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — to drop
  6. sharp — clever
  7. current — of water
  8. fall — the season
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. last — to go on
  12. last — final
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. bear — the animal
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. key — in music
  17. key — for a lock
  18. last — finally
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. current — happening now
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. branch — a division
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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