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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 120 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: land · wave · object · straw · mate · current · branch · trunk

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mate — to breed
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. object — an aim
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. current — of water
  7. land — to come down
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. land — ground
  10. land — a country
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. object — a thing
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. current — happening now
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. branch — a division
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. current — electric
  20. mate — a partner
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. object — to protest

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