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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. lean — thin
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. band — a music group
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. band — a ring
  11. lean — to bend
  12. tube — the underground
  13. branch — a division
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. chair — a leader
  17. tube — a container
  18. ground — the earth
  19. ground — a position
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. ground — crushed
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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