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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: branch · stand · hand · row · prune · march · lie · rest

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. stand — to bear
  3. lie — to recline
  4. rest — a break
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. row — a line
  8. hand — in cards
  9. hand — help
  10. branch — a division
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. rest — what's left
  13. march — the month
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. march — the month
  17. prune — to trim
  18. march — music
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. prune — to trim
  21. rest — what's left
  22. row — to paddle
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. stand — on your feet

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