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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.

Make a worksheet

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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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: branch · wind · bass · rule · chair · cap · pit · lash

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. rule — government
  3. pit — in a race
  4. wind — moving air
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. bass — low music
  8. rule — a law
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. cap — a hat
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. branch — a division
  13. cap — of ice
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. cap — a lid
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. pit — a hole
  22. bass — the fish
  23. wind — moving air
  24. chair — a leader

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