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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: nail · branch · wave · bank · pop · land · field · suit

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  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. branch — a division
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. pop — music
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. land — ground
  7. pop — soda
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. land — to come down
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. suit — clothes
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. field — for sport
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. suit — in cards
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. bank — of a river
  18. pop — to visit
  19. land — a country
  20. suit — to fit
  21. bank — for money
  22. field — a subject
  23. field — farmland
  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