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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
468
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: game · wind · branch · lean · chair · march · rash · deal

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. branch — a division
  4. lean — thin
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. rash — a series
  7. lean — to bend
  8. deal — to handle
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. march — the month
  12. game — a match
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. march — music
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. rash — hasty
  20. wind — moving air
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. chair — a leader
  24. chair — a professorship

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