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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: pitcher · row · rash · hand · object · branch · chair · firm

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. row — a line
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. object — to protest
  5. firm — decided
  6. hand — in cards
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. branch — a division
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. hand — help
  11. chair — a leader
  12. firm — steady
  13. object — a thing
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. row — to paddle
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. rash — hasty
  20. firm — a company
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. object — an aim

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