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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: wake · safe · bowl · chair · branch · staff · hand · pitcher

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. wake — a trail
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. hand — in cards
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. chair — a leader
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. hand — help
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. branch — a division
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. staff — a stick
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. staff — employees
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. staff — employees
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. hand — part of the body

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