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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. rush — hurry
  4. tear — to rip
  5. chair — a leader
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. present — a gift
  11. chip — to eat
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. pass — a permit
  14. chip — for betting
  15. present — the time now
  16. branch — a division
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. present — there
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. tear — from crying
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. pass — to spend time

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