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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chest · branch · wind · mark · kick · current · mine · can

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. mark — a grade
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. can — a tin
  8. mine — for digging
  9. wind — moving air
  10. chest — of your body
  11. kick — in football
  12. chest — a box
  13. wind — moving air
  14. current — electric
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. can — a tin
  19. chest — of your body
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. current — happening now
  22. can — to be able to
  23. mark — a trace
  24. branch — a division

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