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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chair · branch · stand · race · foot · bowl

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. chair — a leader
  4. foot — a measure
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. stand — to bear
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. branch — a division
  12. race — humankind
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. race — the arms race
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. race — a contest
  18. branch — of a bank

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