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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. swing — to play on
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. swing — music
  5. swing — in golf
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. snap — to click
  8. lean — thin
  9. lean — to bend
  10. tear — to rip
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. branch — a division
  14. stem — to come from
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. tear — from crying
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. tear — from crying

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