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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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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 · stand · mug · wake · rash · row · branch · can

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. can — a tin
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. can — a tin
  5. mug — a face
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. can — to be able to
  9. row — a line
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. wake — a trail
  17. mug — a cup
  18. rash — hasty
  19. stand — to bear
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. branch — a division
  22. mug — to rob
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. row — to paddle

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