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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 · bound · branch · wave · degree · face · patient · race

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. wind — moving air
  9. degree — from a university
  10. face — to point toward
  11. bound — tied together
  12. degree — an amount
  13. face — part of the head
  14. face — to confront
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. race — the arms race
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. branch — a division
  20. degree — temperature
  21. bound — certain
  22. race — humankind
  23. race — a contest
  24. wind — moving air

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