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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. branch — a division
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. lean — to bend
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. rest — what's left
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. net — in sport
  13. chair — a leader
  14. rest — what's left
  15. net — after costs
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. hand — help
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. lean — thin
  21. snap — to click
  22. hand — in cards
  23. net — for catching
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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