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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. lie — to recline
  4. bank — of a river
  5. chair — a leader
  6. branch — a division
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. track — a song
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. track — to keep track
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. dip — to sink
  16. bank — for money
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. stand — to bear
  19. track — a path
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. bank — for money
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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