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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. branch — a division
  3. band — a ring
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. kick — in football
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. band — a music group
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. wind — moving air

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