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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — to drop
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. race — a contest
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. branch — a division
  11. staff — employees
  12. race — humankind
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. cold — not warm
  15. fall — the season
  16. bulb — for light
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. race — the arms race
  19. staff — a stick
  20. stand — to bear
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. bulb — for light
  24. cold — an illness

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