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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spell · chair · bat · branch · club · current · calf · stick

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. chair — a leader
  3. club — a group
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. spell — a short time
  8. club — for dancing
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. bat — the animal
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. club — for golf
  15. spell — letters
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. current — happening now
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. current — of water
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. spell — magic
  23. branch — a division
  24. current — electric

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