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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.

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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. chest — of your body
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. file — a line of people
  7. staff — employees
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. chest — a box
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. can — to be able to
  12. chair — a leader
  13. chest — of your body
  14. tube — a container
  15. branch — a division
  16. can — a tin
  17. tube — the underground
  18. file — a document
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. staff — a stick
  21. file — a tool
  22. can — a tin
  23. staff — employees
  24. chair — a professorship

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