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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. staff — a stick
  3. fork — in a road
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. cold — an illness
  8. stand — to bear
  9. rock — music
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. staff — employees
  14. branch — a division
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. staff — employees
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. cold — not warm
  24. rock — to move gently

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