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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: rule · lean · stand · branch · straw · pound · wind · chair

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. lean — thin
  5. pound — a weight
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. wind — moving air
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. wind — moving air
  10. branch — a division
  11. rule — government
  12. lean — to bend
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. rule — a law
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. chair — a leader
  19. stand — to bear
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. straw — dry grass

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