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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: chest · current · bat · bound · branch · sharp · can · present

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. current — electric
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. present — a gift
  5. bound — tied together
  6. chest — of your body
  7. present — the time now
  8. bat — the animal
  9. branch — a division
  10. chest — of your body
  11. current — happening now
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. sharp — clever
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. bound — obliged
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. current — of water
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. can — a tin
  20. present — there
  21. bound — certain
  22. chest — a box
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — to be able to

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