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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 · roll · mug · foot · stock · chest · wound · bank

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. chest — a box
  4. bank — for money
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bank — of a river
  7. mug — a cup
  8. bank — for money
  9. roll — a list
  10. chest — of your body
  11. wound — an injury
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. chair — a leader
  14. stock — goods
  15. wound — an injury
  16. stock — shares
  17. roll — a cake
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. foot — a measure
  20. mug — to rob
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. mug — a face

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