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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: current · club · mouse · ground · bound · chest · branch · fork

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. chest — of your body
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. ground — the earth
  7. chest — of your body
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. ground — a position
  12. chest — a box
  13. bound — obliged
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. branch — a division
  16. ground — crushed
  17. current — electric
  18. club — for golf
  19. bound — tied together
  20. club — for dancing
  21. current — happening now
  22. fork — in a road
  23. club — a group
  24. current — of water

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