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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: fall · wave · land · branch · root · wind · band · foot

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. root — the cause
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. fall — the season
  6. land — to come down
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. land — a country
  9. fall — to drop
  10. root — of a plant
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. band — a music group
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. wind — moving air
  17. root — of a word
  18. foot — a measure
  19. band — a ring
  20. fall — to drop
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. branch — a division
  23. land — ground
  24. band — a rubber band

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