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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 · cold · net · hand · stand · board · rush · deal

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. board — a committee
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. deal — to handle
  6. rush — hurry
  7. cold — an illness
  8. hand — help
  9. branch — a division
  10. board — to get on
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. net — after costs
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. net — in sport
  19. stand — to bear
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. hand — in cards
  23. cold — not warm
  24. net — for catching

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