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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 120 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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. chair — a leader
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. bank — for money
  5. branch — a division
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. snap — to click
  12. tube — the underground
  13. stem — to come from
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. bank — for money
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. stand — to bear
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. tube — a container
  24. bank — of a river

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