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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: branch · present · stand · cell · fall · face · land · spring

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. stand — to bear
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. fall — to drop
  6. present — a gift
  7. present — there
  8. fall — to drop
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. land — a country
  11. face — to point toward
  12. present — the time now
  13. spring — a coil
  14. spring — the season
  15. cell — in biology
  16. branch — a division
  17. land — ground
  18. land — to come down
  19. face — to confront
  20. cell — a phone
  21. spring — of water
  22. face — part of the head
  23. fall — the season
  24. branch — of a bank

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