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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: trunk · wave · wound · branch · wind · face · roll · fork

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. wound — an injury
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. face — part of the head
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. face — to point toward
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. wind — moving air
  15. roll — a list
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wound — an injury
  18. fork — in a road
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. roll — a cake
  21. face — to confront
  22. branch — a division
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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