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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: branch · snap · rule · cold · stand · stick · cap · fine

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  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. stand — to bear
  2. cap — a lid
  3. fine — all right
  4. snap — to click
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. rule — a law
  11. cold — not warm
  12. cap — of ice
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. fine — high quality
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. branch — a division
  17. cold — an illness
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. rule — government
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. cap — a hat
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  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