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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
468
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: clip · drill · current · staff · branch · racket · sharp · coach

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. clip — for paper
  3. clip — a video
  4. drill — the tool
  5. current — happening now
  6. staff — a stick
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. current — of water
  11. branch — a division
  12. drill — army training
  13. sharp — clever
  14. clip — to cut
  15. staff — employees
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. staff — employees
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. current — electric
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. drill — a practice
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. branch — of a tree

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