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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: key · wind · branch · rest · clip · bay · wave · root

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. key — for a lock
  3. rest — what's left
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. rest — a break
  7. root — the cause
  8. key — in music
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. clip — to cut
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. clip — a video
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. wind — moving air
  16. clip — for paper
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. root — of a word
  19. wind — moving air
  20. root — of a plant
  21. key — the most important part
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. rest — what's left
  24. bay — a horse colour

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