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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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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: saw · rule · wave · land · branch · wind

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. branch — a division
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. rule — government
  10. land — a country
  11. land — to come down
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. land — ground
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. rule — to rule out

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