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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 120 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: mug · last · branch · rock · chair · stand · hand · bat

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. stand — to bear
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. mug — to rob
  6. hand — in cards
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. mug — a face
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. branch — a division
  12. mug — a cup
  13. rock — a stone
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. chair — a leader
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. bat — the animal
  18. last — finally
  19. last — to go on
  20. hand — help
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. last — final

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