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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. 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. branch — of a bank
  2. last — finally
  3. track — a song
  4. last — to go on
  5. bank — of a river
  6. hand — help
  7. branch — a division
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. hand — in cards
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. bank — for money
  13. track — a path
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. bank — for money
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. last — final
  20. wind — moving air
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. track — to keep track
  23. snap — to click
  24. 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