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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: branch · bowl · file · wind · band · leaves · season · dip

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. file — a document
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. file — a tool
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. season — in sport
  7. branch — a division
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. file — a line of people
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. band — a ring
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. dip — to sink
  22. wind — moving air
  23. band — a music group
  24. season — of the year

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