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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. saw — the tool
  3. chair — a leader
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. scale — in music
  7. wake — a trail
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. cell — a phone
  15. saw — the tool
  16. rash — hasty
  17. branch — a division
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. rash — a series
  20. cell — in biology
  21. scale — size or range
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. lie — to recline
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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