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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. face — to confront
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. face — to point toward
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. rock — a stone
  11. scale — in music
  12. branch — a division
  13. wind — moving air
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. face — part of the head
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. scale — size or range
  18. tube — a container
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. wind — moving air
  21. rock — music
  22. tube — the underground
  23. chair — a leader
  24. branch — of a bank

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