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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. pass — a permit
  4. chip — for betting
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bear — the animal
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. chair — a leader
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. board — to get on
  11. chip — to eat
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. field — a subject
  15. bear — the animal
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. prune — to trim
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. field — for sport
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. field — farmland
  23. branch — a division
  24. board — a committee

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