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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: chip · rush · content · firm · band · branch · wind · fall

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. wind — moving air
  4. firm — a company
  5. content — the amount
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. rush — hurry
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. band — a ring
  11. band — a music group
  12. wind — moving air
  13. chip — for betting
  14. content — happy
  15. fall — to drop
  16. firm — steady
  17. branch — a division
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. firm — decided
  20. chip — to eat
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. fall — the season
  23. fall — to drop
  24. rush — to hurry

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