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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. season — of the year
  5. band — a ring
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. season — in sport
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. pop — soda
  11. band — a music group
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. pop — to visit
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. pop — music
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. dip — to sink
  21. stem — to come from
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. bark — to shout

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