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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 120 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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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 · temple · branch · chair · rest · snap · race · pound

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. branch — a division
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. race — humankind
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. race — a contest
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. rest — what's left
  15. chair — a leader
  16. rest — a break
  17. rest — what's left
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. snap — to click
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. race — the arms race
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. temple — a place of worship
  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