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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. current — electric
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. current — of water
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. rule — government
  7. rash — a series
  8. rash — hasty
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. plane — a tool
  16. branch — a division
  17. current — happening now
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. rule — a law
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. pound — a weight
  23. prune — to trim
  24. rule — to rule out

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