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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: snap · branch · craft · current · deal · bear · chair · chest

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. current — electric
  3. bear — the animal
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. current — happening now
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. branch — a division
  9. chest — of your body
  10. craft — boats
  11. craft — a skill
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. snap — to click
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. current — of water
  17. chest — a box
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. deal — to handle
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. bear — the animal
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. chair — a leader
  24. chest — of your body

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