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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: branch · wind · cabinet · fine · temple · pop · ground · stand

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. fine — all right
  4. stand — to bear
  5. wind — moving air
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. pop — to visit
  9. ground — crushed
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. wind — moving air
  12. pop — soda
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. ground — the earth
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. fine — high quality
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. ground — a position
  22. branch — a division
  23. pop — music
  24. stand — for spectators

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