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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: stand · chip · track · mate · bore · branch · season · rash

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. stand — to bear
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — in sport
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. mate — to breed
  8. track — a path
  9. mate — a partner
  10. bore — to drill
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. track — a song
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. track — to keep track
  17. season — of the year
  18. mate — a friend
  19. rash — a series
  20. chip — for betting
  21. branch — a division
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. chip — to eat
  24. rash — hasty

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