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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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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: present · rest · cabinet · bowl · stand · branch · lash · bat

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. bat — the animal
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. stand — to bear
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. present — a gift
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. rest — a break
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. present — the time now
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. branch — a division
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. rest — what's left
  24. present — there

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