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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 120 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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. foot — a measure
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. chair — a leader
  8. pound — a weight
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. file — a line of people
  12. file — a document
  13. net — after costs
  14. craft — a skill
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. stem — to come from
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. net — for catching
  19. craft — boats
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. file — a tool
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. net — in sport
  24. nail — on a finger

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