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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. chair — a leader
  3. rash — a series
  4. bank — of a river
  5. net — in sport
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. net — for catching
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. rash — hasty
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. net — after costs
  17. rest — what's left
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. bank — for money
  20. rest — what's left
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. rest — a break
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bank — for money

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