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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: firm · bank · track · staff · branch · cold · sharp · chair

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. bank — for money
  4. chair — a leader
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. cold — not warm
  8. staff — employees
  9. sharp — clever
  10. cold — an illness
  11. bank — for money
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. track — to keep track
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. firm — steady
  16. staff — employees
  17. track — a song
  18. bank — of a river
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. staff — a stick
  22. firm — decided
  23. track — a path
  24. firm — a company

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