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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 120 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: content · drill · rock · branch · wind · pitcher · snap · stand

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. drill — army training
  3. rock — a stone
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. stand — to bear
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. drill — the tool
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. wind — moving air
  10. content — the amount
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. drill — a practice
  18. rock — music
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. content — happy
  21. branch — a division
  22. wind — moving air
  23. branch — of a tree
  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