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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. net — for catching
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. net — after costs
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. season — of the year
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. pound — a weight
  9. season — in sport
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. branch — a division
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. lean — to bend
  16. net — in sport
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. lean — thin

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