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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 120 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: wound · row · rash · court · chair · branch · net · mug

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. net — for catching
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. row — a line
  6. net — in sport
  7. rash — hasty
  8. mug — a cup
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. rash — a series
  12. net — after costs
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. mug — to rob
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. wound — an injury
  17. court — of a king
  18. mug — a face
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. branch — a division
  21. court — of law
  22. chair — a leader
  23. court — for sport
  24. row — a quarrel

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