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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: ball · sharp · mark · fall · branch · wave · current · row

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. fall — the season
  4. sharp — clever
  5. row — to paddle
  6. row — a line
  7. mark — a trace
  8. mark — a grade
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. fall — to drop
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. current — electric
  16. ball — a dance
  17. fall — to drop
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. current — of water
  20. branch — a division
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. current — happening now
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. ball — a great time

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