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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 120 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: chip · tube · present · chair · bear · branch · arm · hand

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. tube — the underground
  3. chair — a leader
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. present — there
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. branch — a division
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. hand — help
  12. hand — in cards
  13. bear — the animal
  14. chip — for betting
  15. present — a gift
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. tube — a container
  19. present — the time now
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. bear — the animal
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. chip — to eat

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