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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 walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. file — a tool
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. chair — a leader
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. file — a document
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. bear — the animal
  12. board — to get on
  13. branch — a division
  14. board — a committee
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. wake — a trail
  24. bear — the animal

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