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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: band · branch · arm · face · stock · wind · content · saw

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. content — the amount
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. band — a ring
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. band — a music group
  8. stock — shares
  9. saw — the tool
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. face — part of the head
  13. saw — the tool
  14. content — happy
  15. stock — goods
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. face — to confront
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. wind — moving air
  21. branch — a division
  22. face — to point toward
  23. wind — moving air
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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