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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. foot — a measure
  3. wind — moving air
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. rule — government
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. wind — moving air
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. stem — to come from
  14. branch — a division
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. pit — in a race
  17. pit — a hole
  18. rule — a law
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. chair — a professorship

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