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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: stand · bowl · pitcher · bark · press · band · branch · lie

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. press — a publisher
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. lie — to recline
  16. branch — a division
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. press — newspapers
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. band — a ring
  22. press — to push
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. band — a music group

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