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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: stick · current · wound · cabinet · deal · bark · branch · chair

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. chair — a leader
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. wound — an injury
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. current — electric
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. wound — an injury
  16. deal — to handle
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. current — happening now
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. current — of water
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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