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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. bulb — for light
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. rest — a break
  6. ground — a position
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. court — for sport
  10. suit — in cards
  11. wound — an injury
  12. suit — to fit
  13. rest — what's left
  14. ground — crushed
  15. court — of law
  16. bulb — for light
  17. wound — an injury
  18. suit — clothes
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. rest — what's left
  21. chair — a leader
  22. court — of a king
  23. ground — the earth
  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