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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. wound — an injury
  6. rash — hasty
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. rash — a series
  11. sharp — clever
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. staff — a stick
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — employees
  17. wake — a trail
  18. branch — a division
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. chair — a leader
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wound — an injury
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. ruler — for measuring

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