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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: wind · face · staff · racket · fall · branch · object · craft

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. fall — the season
  3. wind — moving air
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. face — part of the head
  6. staff — employees
  7. object — a thing
  8. face — to confront
  9. fall — to drop
  10. face — to point toward
  11. object — an aim
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. staff — employees
  14. object — to protest
  15. wind — moving air
  16. staff — a stick
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. craft — a skill
  21. fall — to drop
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. branch — a division

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