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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: leaves · lie · stick · foot · branch · chair · row · march

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. march — the month
  4. march — music
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. march — the month
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. foot — a measure
  15. branch — a division
  16. row — to paddle
  17. row — a line
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. chair — a leader
  23. lie — to recline
  24. lie — an untruth

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