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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: stand · bear · present · cabinet · mug · kid · cold · branch

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. cold — an illness
  3. cold — not warm
  4. stand — to bear
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. mug — to rob
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. present — there
  9. present — a gift
  10. mug — a cup
  11. mug — a face
  12. kid — child
  13. bear — the animal
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. bear — the animal
  20. branch — a division
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. present — the time now
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. kid — to tease

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