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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: bank · stand · chip · cold · drill · straw · stick · branch

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. bank — for money
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. drill — the tool
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. drill — army training
  10. cold — not warm
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. chip — for betting
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. branch — a division
  18. drill — a practice
  19. bank — of a river
  20. chip — to eat
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. bank — for money
  23. stand — to bear
  24. cold — an illness

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