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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. chair — a leader
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. spell — a short time
  6. rash — a series
  7. perch — the fish
  8. branch — a division
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. wax — to grow
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. mug — to rob
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. mug — a face
  16. spell — letters
  17. rash — hasty
  18. mug — a cup
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. spell — magic
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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