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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: fine · wind · fan · branch · wake · rock · leaves · bat

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. wind — moving air
  3. branch — a division
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. wind — moving air
  11. fine — high quality
  12. fine — all right
  13. rock — a stone
  14. wake — a trail
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. rock — music
  24. bat — the animal

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