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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: face · temple · chair · scale · hand · bound · branch · fork

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bound — certain
  4. face — to point toward
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. scale — in music
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. bound — obliged
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. branch — a division
  12. hand — in cards
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. hand — help
  15. scale — size or range
  16. face — to confront
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. fork — in a road
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. face — part of the head
  22. chair — a leader
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. chair — to sit on

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