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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. net — in sport
  3. shower — to wash
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. chair — a leader
  6. craft — a skill
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. branch — a division
  10. root — of a word
  11. root — of a plant
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. net — after costs
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. net — for catching
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. shower — rain
  18. root — the cause
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. craft — boats

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