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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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 professorship
  3. mate — to breed
  4. craft — a skill
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. mate — a partner
  8. wax — to grow
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. fine — all right
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. swing — to play on
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. swing — in golf
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — tied together
  17. swing — music
  18. mate — a friend
  19. bound — obliged
  20. chair — a leader
  21. branch — a division
  22. fine — high quality
  23. craft — boats
  24. wax — for sculpting

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