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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. season — of the year
  5. rush — hurry
  6. season — in sport
  7. bear — the animal
  8. row — a line
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. chair — a leader
  16. bear — the animal
  17. squash — to crush
  18. squash — the sport
  19. lean — thin
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. lean — to bend
  22. row — to paddle
  23. branch — a division
  24. season — to add flavour

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