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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: plane · track · sharp · current · clip · perch · shower · branch

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. track — to keep track
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. clip — for paper
  7. shower — to wash
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. plane — a tool
  10. shower — rain
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. clip — to cut
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. perch — the fish
  17. track — a song
  18. clip — a video
  19. current — of water
  20. track — a path
  21. current — electric
  22. sharp — clever
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. branch — a division

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