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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 116 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: field · bound · wave · clip · object · branch · saw · current

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. current — of water
  3. current — electric
  4. saw — the tool
  5. field — for sport
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. bound — certain
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. branch — a division
  10. clip — to cut
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. saw — the tool
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. object — a thing
  16. clip — for paper
  17. current — happening now
  18. clip — a video
  19. object — to protest
  20. field — farmland
  21. bound — tied together
  22. field — a subject
  23. bound — obliged
  24. object — an aim

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