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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. club — for dancing
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. shower — to wash
  7. club — for golf
  8. lean — thin
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. fine — all right
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. lean — to bend
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. club — a group
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. fine — high quality
  23. chair — a leader
  24. branch — a division

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