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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: bore · lie · stick · fan · cabinet · branch · net · stand

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  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. stick — a piece of wood
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bore — to drill
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. lie — to recline
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bore — to tire
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. net — for catching
  13. stand — to bear
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. branch — a division
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — in sport
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  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