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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 · wind · straw · face · pit · bank · land · lean

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. pit — a hole
  3. pit — in a race
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bank — of a river
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. branch — a division
  8. lean — thin
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. wind — moving air
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. land — a country
  13. lean — to bend
  14. bank — for money
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. face — to point toward
  17. land — to come down
  18. land — ground
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. face — part of the head
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. face — to confront
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. bank — for money

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