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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. press — to push
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. press — a publisher
  7. cap — a lid
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. branch — a division
  11. press — newspapers
  12. cap — a hat
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. row — a line
  16. cap — of ice
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. sharp — clever
  21. stem — to come from
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. row — to paddle

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