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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. pound — a weight
  3. net — in sport
  4. chest — of your body
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. fine — high quality
  7. chest — a box
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. prune — to trim
  11. net — for catching
  12. prune — to trim
  13. wind — moving air
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. chest — of your body
  17. net — after costs
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. branch — a division
  20. roll — a cake
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. wind — moving air
  23. fine — all right
  24. roll — a list

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