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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. chair — a leader
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. bank — for money
  5. land — ground
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. band — a music group
  8. race — humankind
  9. board — a committee
  10. race — a contest
  11. land — a country
  12. race — the arms race
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bark — to shout
  16. land — to come down
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bank — for money
  19. board — to get on
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bank — of a river
  22. band — a ring
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. chair — a professorship

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