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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chest · branch · bore · pop · straw · chair · toast · ball

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. toast — bread
  4. pop — soda
  5. chest — a box
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. pop — to visit
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. pop — music
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. chest — of your body
  12. branch — a division
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. bore — to tire
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. ball — a great time
  20. bore — to drill
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. ball — a dance
  24. toast — the most admired

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