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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: wind · chair · scale · mark · branch · date · bay · pop

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. pop — music
  3. wind — moving air
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. mark — a trace
  8. mark — a grade
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. pop — soda
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. pop — to visit
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. wind — moving air
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. scale — in music
  19. date — the fruit
  20. scale — size or range
  21. chair — a leader
  22. branch — a division
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. bay — a horse colour

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