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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. track — a song
  3. wind — moving air
  4. fall — the season
  5. board — to get on
  6. fall — to drop
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. track — to keep track
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. track — a path
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wax — to grow
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. board — a committee
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. fall — to drop
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. branch — a division
  23. chair — a leader
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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