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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: saw · chair · pound · leaves · field · mark · arm · content

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. chair — a leader
  6. content — the amount
  7. field — a subject
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. content — happy
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. field — for sport
  15. saw — the tool
  16. pound — a weight
  17. saw — the tool
  18. field — farmland
  19. mark — a grade
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. mark — a trace
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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