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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. last — finally
  3. rock — a stone
  4. charge — a price
  5. charge — electricity
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. rock — music
  13. charge — in control
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bear — the animal
  16. branch — a division
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. bear — the animal
  19. chair — a leader
  20. last — to go on
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. last — final
  24. wax — to grow

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