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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: kid · chair · branch · bank · field · pass · lie · foot

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. kid — to tease
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. pass — a permit
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. bank — for money
  7. bank — for money
  8. field — a subject
  9. field — for sport
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. lie — to recline
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. foot — a measure
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. branch — a division
  17. kid — child
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. field — farmland
  23. bank — of a river
  24. chair — a leader

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