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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: wind · bowl · branch · perch · lie · saw · fall · current

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. current — electric
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. perch — the fish
  5. saw — the tool
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. current — of water
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. lie — to recline
  11. current — happening now
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. fall — to drop
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. branch — a division
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. fall — the season
  22. fall — to drop
  23. wind — moving air
  24. lie — an untruth

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