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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: wound · stick · mug · branch · wave · bound · face · fan

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. branch — a division
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. mug — a face
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. face — to confront
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. face — to point toward
  18. mug — to rob
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bound — certain
  22. wound — an injury
  23. mug — a cup
  24. branch — of a tree

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