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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 120 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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. wound — an injury
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. land — ground
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. branch — a division
  8. chair — a leader
  9. rest — what's left
  10. land — a country
  11. rest — what's left
  12. fall — the season
  13. land — to come down
  14. ground — the earth
  15. fall — to drop
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. wound — an injury
  18. fall — to drop
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. ground — a position
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. ground — crushed
  24. rest — a break

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