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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. net — in sport
  5. net — after costs
  6. bulb — for light
  7. foot — a measure
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. net — for catching
  13. dip — to sink
  14. bore — to drill
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. bore — to tire
  17. chair — a leader
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. bulb — for light
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. branch — a division
  24. coach — a trainer

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