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

Word bank: branch · rule · pitcher · wind · present · fall · rest · rock

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. wind — moving air
  3. rock — music
  4. rock — a stone
  5. branch — a division
  6. fall — to drop
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. fall — the season
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. wind — moving air
  12. present — a gift
  13. present — the time now
  14. rest — a break
  15. present — there
  16. rule — government
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. rule — a law
  24. pitcher — a jug

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