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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: rock · racket · chair · deal · tear · branch · nail · wind

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. branch — a division
  4. tear — from crying
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. deal — to handle
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. rock — a stone
  12. wind — moving air
  13. tear — to rip
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. chair — a leader
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. tear — from crying
  23. wind — moving air
  24. nail — for a hammer

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