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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. pit — a hole
  4. plane — a tool
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. craft — boats
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. spell — letters
  12. bear — the animal
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. root — of a plant
  15. root — of a word
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. spell — a short time
  18. pit — in a race
  19. branch — a division
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. root — the cause
  22. bear — the animal
  23. craft — a skill
  24. spell — magic

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