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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 · firm · spell · chest · bank · rest

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. bank — for money
  3. rest — what's left
  4. firm — a company
  5. spell — magic
  6. chest — of your body
  7. spell — letters
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. bank — for money
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. chest — a box
  13. chair — a leader
  14. firm — decided
  15. spell — a short time
  16. firm — steady
  17. rest — what's left
  18. bank — of a river

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