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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. spring — of water
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. hand — in cards
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. craft — boats
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. hand — help
  15. chair — a leader
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. branch — a division
  18. spring — the season
  19. spring — a coil
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. craft — a skill

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