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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 · bank · field · band · swing · branch · rest · pit

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. rest — what's left
  3. branch — a division
  4. band — a ring
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. band — a music group
  8. swing — to play on
  9. field — farmland
  10. rest — what's left
  11. pit — a hole
  12. rest — a break
  13. swing — music
  14. pit — in a race
  15. bank — of a river
  16. field — for sport
  17. bank — for money
  18. field — a subject
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. bank — for money
  23. swing — in golf
  24. stand — to bear

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