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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: chair · deal · pop · lie · lean · toast · bark · branch

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. pop — music
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. chair — a leader
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. toast — bread
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. lie — to recline
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. pop — to visit
  12. deal — to handle
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. pop — soda
  22. lean — thin
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. branch — a division

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