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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 120 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: staff · branch · content · bore · bat · stand · pop · mate

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. branch — a division
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. content — the amount
  5. bore — to drill
  6. bat — the animal
  7. mate — to breed
  8. pop — soda
  9. staff — a stick
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. staff — employees
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. stand — to bear
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. content — happy
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. pop — music
  19. bore — to tire
  20. mate — a friend
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. pop — to visit
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. staff — employees

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