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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: face · leaves · chair · foot · suit · race · row · branch

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. suit — clothes
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. face — to point toward
  6. branch — a division
  7. face — to confront
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. chair — a leader
  12. race — humankind
  13. row — to paddle
  14. race — a contest
  15. suit — to fit
  16. row — a line
  17. suit — in cards
  18. face — part of the head
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. race — the arms race
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. foot — a measure

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