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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
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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 · pound · mine · chair · cabinet · pitch · nail · branch

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. rock — music
  4. pitch — completely
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. rock — a stone
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. pound — a weight
  13. mine — for digging
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. branch — a division
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. nail — for a hammer

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