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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. can — a tin
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — the season
  5. can — to be able to
  6. swing — music
  7. swing — in golf
  8. field — farmland
  9. bank — for money
  10. fall — to drop
  11. can — a tin
  12. ground — the earth
  13. ground — crushed
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. ground — a position
  16. bank — of a river
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. field — a subject
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bank — for money
  22. field — for sport
  23. swing — to play on
  24. bark — to shout

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