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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: branch · current · perch · chair · straw · craft · toast · tear

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. tear — from crying
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. current — of water
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. craft — a skill
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. branch — a division
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. tear — to rip
  15. current — electric
  16. tear — from crying
  17. perch — the fish
  18. craft — boats
  19. toast — bread
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. current — happening now
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. straw — a straw man

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