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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  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 professorship
  2. lean — to bend
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. lean — thin
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. last — final
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. track — a path
  12. last — to go on
  13. wake — a trail
  14. firm — decided
  15. last — finally
  16. track — a song
  17. track — to keep track
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. firm — a company
  20. chair — a leader
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. firm — steady
  23. chair — to sit on
  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