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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: saw · branch · fan · object · content · track · net · chair

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  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. chair — a leader
  2. track — to keep track
  3. track — a song
  4. object — a thing
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. content — the amount
  7. saw — the tool
  8. content — happy
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. track — a path
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. saw — the tool
  15. object — to protest
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — in sport
  21. net — for catching
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. branch — a division
  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