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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: toast · chest · branch · pitcher · root · perch · bat · chair

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. branch — a division
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. root — the cause
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. chest — a box
  8. bat — the animal
  9. toast — bread
  10. chair — a leader
  11. perch — the fish
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. root — of a word
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. chest — of your body
  20. root — of a plant
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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