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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. branch — a division
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. drill — the tool
  5. chair — a leader
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. march — the month
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. drill — army training
  10. prune — to trim
  11. march — the month
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. march — music
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. drill — a practice

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