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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 116 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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468
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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. prune — to trim
  4. kid — child
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. branch — a division
  7. chair — a leader
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. mate — a friend
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. bank — of a river
  16. mate — a partner
  17. bank — for money
  18. mate — to breed
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. bank — for money
  23. kid — to tease
  24. prune — the fruit

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