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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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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: stick · branch · chest · mate · fine · racket · wind · bank

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. wind — moving air
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. fine — high quality
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. chest — of your body
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. mate — to breed
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. fine — all right
  11. mate — a friend
  12. bank — for money
  13. wind — moving air
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. chest — of your body
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. chest — a box
  18. bank — for money
  19. mate — a partner
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. branch — a division
  22. bank — of a river
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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