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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. branch — a division
  3. chair — a leader
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. cap — a hat
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. wake — a trail
  14. cap — a lid
  15. cap — of ice
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. pass — a permit
  19. content — the amount
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. content — happy
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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