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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: deal · branch · jam · chair · rush · spell · field · pass

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. spell — magic
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. pass — a permit
  11. field — a subject
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. field — farmland
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. deal — to handle
  18. rush — hurry
  19. spell — letters
  20. branch — a division
  21. field — for sport
  22. spell — a short time
  23. chair — a leader
  24. jam — a tight spot

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