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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: branch · rash · fall · bear · bowl · stand · rock · content

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. branch — a division
  3. content — happy
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. stand — to bear
  6. rock — a stone
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. fall — to drop
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. fall — to drop
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. content — the amount
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. fall — the season
  19. bear — the animal
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rock — music
  22. rash — a series
  23. rash — hasty
  24. bear — the animal

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