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

Word bank: face · rock · pitcher · wind · wave · swing · branch · content

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. rock — music
  3. face — part of the head
  4. wind — moving air
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. branch — a division
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. face — to point toward
  10. wind — moving air
  11. face — to confront
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. rock — a stone
  14. swing — to play on
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. swing — in golf
  17. swing — music
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. content — the amount
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. content — happy
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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