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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: wind · current · content · straw · branch · ball · nail · pass

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. pass — a permit
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. current — of water
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. content — happy
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. wind — moving air
  11. ball — a dance
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. ball — a great time
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. wind — moving air
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. branch — a division
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. content — the amount
  20. current — happening now
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. current — electric
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. branch — of a bank

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