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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. present — there
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. staff — employees
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. snap — to click
  11. staff — employees
  12. chair — a leader
  13. present — the time now
  14. branch — a division
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. bass — low music
  18. staff — a stick
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. stand — to bear
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. present — a gift
  23. bass — the fish
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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