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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: wave · fall · stock · land · content · fan · bass · branch

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. fall — the season
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. content — the amount
  12. bass — low music
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. land — to come down
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. land — a country
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. land — ground
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. content — happy
  22. branch — a division
  23. bass — the fish
  24. stock — goods

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