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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 116 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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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: stand · land · staff · wave · bark · cap · branch · snap

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. land — a country
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. land — to come down
  5. cap — of ice
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. branch — a division
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. staff — a stick
  11. stand — to bear
  12. cap — a lid
  13. land — ground
  14. snap — to click
  15. bark — to shout
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. staff — employees
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. staff — employees
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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