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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: chair · stand · rest · prune · key · object · squash · bank

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. object — a thing
  3. prune — to trim
  4. stand — to bear
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. object — to protest
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. bank — of a river
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. object — an aim
  12. squash — the sport
  13. key — for a lock
  14. bank — for money
  15. key — the most important part
  16. chair — a leader
  17. prune — to trim
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bank — for money
  20. rest — what's left
  21. key — in music
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. squash — to crush
  24. rest — a break

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