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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 116 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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tear — from crying
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. chair — a leader
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. season — in sport
  8. spell — letters
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. branch — a division
  14. spell — magic
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. spell — a short time
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. season — of the year
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. snap — to click
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. tear — from crying
  24. chair — to sit on

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