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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: bulb · club · chip · squash · hand · current · face · branch

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. hand — in cards
  3. club — for dancing
  4. hand — help
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. current — happening now
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. current — of water
  9. club — for golf
  10. chip — for betting
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. branch — a division
  15. bulb — for light
  16. squash — the sport
  17. chip — to eat
  18. squash — to crush
  19. club — a group
  20. face — to point toward
  21. face — to confront
  22. bulb — for light
  23. face — part of the head
  24. current — electric

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