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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: current · fan · branch · lean · hand · rush · can · present

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. can — a tin
  3. hand — help
  4. branch — a division
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lean — to bend
  10. current — of water
  11. present — the time now
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. hand — in cards
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — to be able to
  20. lean — thin
  21. current — happening now
  22. current — electric
  23. present — there
  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