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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 116 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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468
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: stick · branch · spring · plane · stand · rash · mate · ruler

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. mate — a friend
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. mate — a partner
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. plane — a tool
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. spring — the season
  9. rash — hasty
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. spring — a coil
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. mate — to breed
  17. rash — a series
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. branch — a division
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. spring — of water
  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