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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: file · row · land · present · lie · stand · branch · bat

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. bat — the animal
  3. row — a line
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. branch — a division
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. land — ground
  8. present — the time now
  9. present — a gift
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. stand — to bear
  12. file — a line of people
  13. lie — to recline
  14. land — to come down
  15. file — a tool
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. row — to paddle
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. file — a document
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. land — a country
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. present — there
  24. lie — an untruth

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