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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: net · hide · straw · branch · scale · fall · race · stand

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. fall — to drop
  4. race — the arms race
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. fall — to drop
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. net — for catching
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. race — humankind
  15. fall — the season
  16. net — in sport
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. scale — size or range
  19. branch — a division
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. race — a contest
  23. stand — to bear
  24. net — after costs

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