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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. bark — to shout
  3. cap — a lid
  4. fall — to drop
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. row — to paddle
  8. fall — the season
  9. row — a line
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. cap — a hat
  12. chair — a leader
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. cap — of ice
  15. craft — a skill
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. fall — to drop
  18. craft — boats
  19. saw — the tool
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. saw — the tool
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. stand — to bear

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