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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
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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: march · root · straw · current · wound · net · branch · kick

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. current — happening now
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. wound — an injury
  6. march — the month
  7. current — of water
  8. wound — an injury
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — for catching
  12. march — the month
  13. current — electric
  14. branch — a division
  15. root — of a word
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. march — music
  18. kick — in football
  19. net — after costs
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. root — the cause
  22. root — of a plant
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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