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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. rash — hasty
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. mine — for digging
  9. scale — size or range
  10. scale — in music
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. branch — a division
  13. chair — a leader
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. bark — to shout
  16. rush — hurry
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. rash — a series
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — employees
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. staff — a stick

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