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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: rush · wave · wind · arm · stock · spring · stand · branch

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. stand — to bear
  3. branch — a division
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. spring — a coil
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. rush — hurry
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — moving air
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. spring — the season
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. spring — of water
  18. stock — goods
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. stock — shares
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. stand — for spectators

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