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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 · bark · tube · deal · kick · branch · fall · saw

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. tube — the underground
  3. fall — to drop
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. tube — a container
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. kick — in football
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. bark — to shout
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. branch — a division
  18. deal — to handle
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. fall — to drop
  21. saw — the tool
  22. wind — moving air
  23. saw — the tool
  24. wind — moving air

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