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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. tear — from crying
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — to rip
  8. branch — a division
  9. mate — a partner
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. date — the fruit
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. mate — to breed
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. chair — a leader
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mate — a friend

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