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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: chair · degree · coach · fork · bay · sharp · leaves · branch

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. sharp — clever
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. chair — a leader
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. degree — from a university
  14. branch — a division
  15. degree — temperature
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. degree — an amount
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. fork — in a road

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