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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: stand · wound · branch · lean · leaves · bat · pitcher · wake

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. stand — to bear
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wake — a trail
  12. lean — to bend
  13. bat — the animal
  14. wound — an injury
  15. branch — a division
  16. lean — thin
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. wound — an injury
  24. pitcher — a jug

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