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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. staff — employees
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. scale — size or range
  5. chair — a leader
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. bank — for money
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. bank — for money
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. present — a gift
  13. present — the time now
  14. present — there
  15. scale — in music
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. staff — a stick
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — to trim
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. staff — employees
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. bank — of a river

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