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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: race · cell · root · stand · straw · branch

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. stand — to bear
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. race — a contest
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. cell — a phone
  8. cell — in biology
  9. branch — a division
  10. race — humankind
  11. root — of a plant
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. root — of a word
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. root — the cause
  17. race — the arms race
  18. cell — in a prison

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