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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. clip — to cut
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. chair — a leader
  9. bank — for money
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. clip — for paper
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. bank — of a river
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. branch — a division
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bank — for money
  24. clip — a video

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