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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 116 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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. drill — army training
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. bulb — for light
  5. drill — a practice
  6. drill — the tool
  7. bulb — for light
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. fall — the season
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. fall — to drop
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. field — farmland
  15. fall — to drop
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. branch — a division
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. field — for sport
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. board — to get on
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. board — a committee
  24. field — a subject

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