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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: racket · ground · cabinet · chair · branch · roll · wind · shower

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. ground — the earth
  9. shower — to wash
  10. shower — rain
  11. wind — moving air
  12. branch — a division
  13. chair — a leader
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. wind — moving air
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. roll — a list
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. ground — crushed
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. ground — a position
  24. roll — on a roll

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