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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. present — a gift
  5. branch — a division
  6. present — there
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. row — a line
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. chair — a leader
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. row — to paddle
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. date — the fruit
  21. present — the time now
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. coach — a trainer

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