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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: branch · wind · chair · pass · mug · craft · hand · cue

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. mug — to rob
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. hand — in cards
  5. chair — a leader
  6. mug — a face
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. craft — boats
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. cue — for pool
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. cue — a signal
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. hand — help
  16. cue — a hint
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. wind — moving air
  19. craft — a skill
  20. branch — a division
  21. mug — a cup
  22. pass — a permit
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. wind — moving air

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