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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: rest · wound · branch · wind · nail · roll · suit · game

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. suit — in cards
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. wind — moving air
  6. game — wild animals
  7. wound — an injury
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. rest — a break
  10. branch — a division
  11. game — a match
  12. suit — to fit
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. rest — what's left
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. roll — a cake
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. rest — what's left
  21. roll — a list
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. suit — clothes

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