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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: chair · bore · fall · fan · march · jam · foot · branch

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. fall — to drop
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. march — the month
  6. fall — the season
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. march — the month
  9. bore — to tire
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. branch — a division
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. chair — a leader
  17. fall — to drop
  18. foot — a measure
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. bore — to drill
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. chair — a professorship

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