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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: bowl · mark · fall · roll · stand · capital · branch · game

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. mark — a grade
  3. roll — a cake
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. branch — a division
  7. mark — a trace
  8. capital — a city
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. fall — the season
  11. capital — money
  12. game — a match
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. game — wild animals
  18. stand — to bear
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. roll — a list
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — to drop
  24. stand — for spectators

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