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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: chair · branch · rest · race · lean · foot · march · wind

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. race — humankind
  3. rest — what's left
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. race — the arms race
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. rest — what's left
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. lean — thin
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. march — music
  12. lean — to bend
  13. chair — a leader
  14. branch — a division
  15. march — the month
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. race — a contest
  18. wind — moving air
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. foot — a measure
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. rest — a break
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. march — the month

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