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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: wound · wind · race · rock · suit · branch · straw · content

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. wound — an injury
  3. rock — a stone
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. suit — in cards
  7. race — humankind
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wind — moving air
  10. suit — to fit
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. branch — a division
  13. race — the arms race
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. content — happy
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. race — a contest
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. suit — clothes
  21. wind — moving air
  22. rock — music
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. straw — a straw man

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