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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. chair — a leader
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. branch — a division
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. stand — to bear
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. stem — to come from
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bear — the animal
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. bear — the animal

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