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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: chest · cabinet · stand · board · pop · mug · branch · rash

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. board — to get on
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. mug — a cup
  5. chest — of your body
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. rash — hasty
  9. chest — of your body
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. mug — to rob
  16. branch — a division
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. pop — music
  19. pop — to visit
  20. mug — a face
  21. stand — to bear
  22. rash — a series
  23. chest — a box
  24. board — a committee

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