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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: kid · mug · cabinet · saw · branch · season · stand · mine

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. kid — child
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mug — a cup
  6. saw — the tool
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. kid — to tease
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. mug — a face
  13. season — in sport
  14. saw — the tool
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. stand — to bear
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. mug — to rob
  23. season — of the year
  24. branch — of a tree

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