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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. wound — an injury
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. tear — from crying
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. branch — a division
  10. tear — to rip
  11. tear — from crying
  12. suit — in cards
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. suit — clothes
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. suit — to fit
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. wound — an injury
  24. chair — a leader

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