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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. branch — a division
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. firm — steady
  6. bulb — for light
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. drill — the tool
  10. drill — a practice
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. shower — to wash
  15. shower — rain
  16. firm — decided
  17. drill — army training
  18. mine — for digging
  19. bulb — for light
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. firm — a company
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. hide — to keep secret

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