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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. bank — for money
  4. track — a path
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. track — a song
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. track — to keep track
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. drill — army training
  11. drill — the tool
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. prune — to trim
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. bank — of a river
  16. chair — a leader
  17. present — there
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. prune — to trim
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bank — for money
  22. drill — a practice
  23. present — a gift
  24. present — the time now

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