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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 120 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: mate · arm · fan · game · wind · current · branch · lean

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. game — a match
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. mate — to breed
  7. current — of water
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. current — electric
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. current — happening now
  14. wind — moving air
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. mate — a friend
  17. branch — a division
  18. lean — thin
  19. mate — a partner
  20. lean — to bend
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. wind — moving air
  23. game — wild animals
  24. fan — a supporter

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