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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: rock · chair · object · face · ball · chest · track · branch

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chair — a leader
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. branch — a division
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. chest — a box
  8. object — to protest
  9. face — part of the head
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. track — a song
  12. track — to keep track
  13. face — to confront
  14. rock — music
  15. rock — a stone
  16. track — a path
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. chest — of your body
  19. object — a thing
  20. face — to point toward
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. object — an aim
  23. ball — a great time
  24. ball — a dance

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