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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: chair · branch · present · sharp · leaves · rash · race · kick

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. race — a contest
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. kick — in football
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. sharp — clever
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. rash — hasty
  13. present — a gift
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. rash — a series
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. chair — a leader
  18. present — there
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. branch — a division
  21. present — the time now
  22. race — humankind
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. race — the arms race

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