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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: squash · last · wound · branch · chip · foot · mine · chair

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. chip — for betting
  5. squash — to crush
  6. branch — a division
  7. chair — a leader
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. last — to go on
  11. foot — a measure
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. wound — an injury
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. chip — to eat
  16. mine — for digging
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. last — final
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. last — finally
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. squash — the sport
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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