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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: bat · branch · season · wind · stand · hand · rush · safe

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. hand — help
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. season — of the year
  5. bat — the animal
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. wind — moving air
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. branch — a division
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. hand — in cards
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. wind — moving air
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. stand — to bear
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. rush — hurry

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