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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.

Words on the sheet
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: stand · straw · branch · rush · cabinet · ball · spell · march

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. spell — magic
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. spell — letters
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. march — the month
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. branch — a division
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. ball — a dance
  15. stand — to bear
  16. spell — a short time
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. march — music
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. march — the month
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. ball — a great time

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