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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 116 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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. bass — low music
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. stem — to come from
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. chair — a leader
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. stand — to bear
  13. dip — to sink
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. wind — moving air
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. branch — a division
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. wind — moving air

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