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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. kick — in football
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. craft — a skill
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. bass — low music
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. bass — the fish
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. craft — boats
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. straw — dry grass
  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