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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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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: face · deal · wind · bank · sharp · branch · net · swing

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. bank — for money
  4. face — to confront
  5. swing — to play on
  6. face — to point toward
  7. net — after costs
  8. deal — to handle
  9. net — for catching
  10. bank — of a river
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. wind — moving air
  13. swing — in golf
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. wind — moving air
  17. net — in sport
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. branch — a division
  20. swing — music
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. face — part of the head
  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