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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: cell · file · can · branch · toast · bear · lash · chair

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. cell — a phone
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. toast — bread
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. can — a tin
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. bear — the animal
  12. cell — in biology
  13. bear — the animal
  14. can — to be able to
  15. file — a document
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. file — a tool
  19. can — a tin
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. branch — a division
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. file — a line of people

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