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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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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 · dip · club · chair · rash · cabinet · stand · band

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. club — for dancing
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rash — hasty
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. branch — a division
  8. chair — a leader
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. rash — a series
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. dip — to sink
  17. club — for golf
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. band — a music group
  22. stand — to bear
  23. club — a group
  24. band — a ring

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