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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: branch · wind · file · dip · lie · straw · capital · content

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. wind — moving air
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. wind — moving air
  6. branch — a division
  7. file — a line of people
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. file — a document
  10. dip — to sink
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. content — happy
  14. lie — to recline
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. file — a tool
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. content — the amount
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. capital — money
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. capital — a city
  24. capital — a big letter

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