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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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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: wind · lie · branch · roll · stand · ruler · ground · snap

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. ground — crushed
  6. stand — to bear
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. snap — to click
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. roll — a cake
  12. wind — moving air
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. lie — to recline
  18. branch — a division
  19. ground — the earth
  20. roll — a list
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. wind — moving air

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