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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. row — to paddle
  4. wax — to grow
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. branch — a division
  7. pit — a hole
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. pit — in a race
  13. row — a line
  14. game — a match
  15. game — wild animals
  16. chair — a leader
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. game — a kind of play

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