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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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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: pound · tear · racket · rest · chair · branch · ruler · snap

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. tear — from crying
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. snap — to click
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. tear — from crying
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. rest — what's left
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. rest — what's left
  21. branch — a division
  22. pound — a weight
  23. rest — a break
  24. chair — a leader

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