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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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Word bank
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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: squash · march · chair · straw · firm · toast · branch · roll

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. squash — the sport
  3. toast — bread
  4. march — music
  5. march — the month
  6. firm — steady
  7. roll — a list
  8. roll — a cake
  9. branch — a division
  10. chair — a leader
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. squash — to crush
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. firm — decided
  21. march — the month
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. firm — a company
  24. straw — dry grass

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