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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. chair — a leader
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. mark — a grade
  7. march — the month
  8. bark — to shout
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. march — the month
  11. date — the fruit
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. march — music
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. mark — a trace
  17. toast — bread
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. fork — in a road
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. branch — a division
  24. date — on the calendar

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