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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: branch · clip · stand · face · straw · club · last · current

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. branch — a division
  3. clip — for paper
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. stand — to bear
  6. last — final
  7. current — happening now
  8. current — of water
  9. clip — to cut
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. club — a group
  13. clip — a video
  14. club — for dancing
  15. face — part of the head
  16. current — electric
  17. last — to go on
  18. last — finally
  19. face — to point toward
  20. face — to confront
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. club — for golf

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