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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 · hand · ground · rock · stand · object · spring · swing

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. object — to protest
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. swing — in golf
  6. spring — the season
  7. hand — in cards
  8. swing — to play on
  9. spring — of water
  10. ground — crushed
  11. branch — a division
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. rock — music
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. stand — to bear
  16. swing — music
  17. ground — the earth
  18. rock — a stone
  19. object — a thing
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. spring — a coil
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. object — an aim
  24. ground — a position

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