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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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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: straw · temple · clip · firm · band · stand · march · branch

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. firm — decided
  6. clip — for paper
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. branch — a division
  11. firm — steady
  12. stand — to bear
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. clip — to cut
  15. band — a ring
  16. march — the month
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. firm — a company
  20. march — the month
  21. band — a music group
  22. clip — a video
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. march — music

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