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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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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 · firm · degree · club · fall · rush · branch · face

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. face — part of the head
  3. club — a group
  4. fall — the season
  5. firm — a company
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. wind — moving air
  8. firm — decided
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. firm — steady
  11. fall — to drop
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. face — to confront
  14. fall — to drop
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. degree — temperature
  17. rush — hurry
  18. club — for dancing
  19. degree — an amount
  20. club — for golf
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. degree — from a university
  23. branch — a division
  24. face — to point toward

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