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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 120 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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. rush — hurry
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. lean — to bend
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. net — in sport
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. net — after costs
  11. lean — thin
  12. branch — a division
  13. season — in sport
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. chair — a leader
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. season — of the year
  22. net — for catching
  23. pound — a weight
  24. branch — of a tree

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