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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 120 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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. chair — a leader
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. rock — music
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. board — a committee
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. rock — a stone
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. branch — a division
  24. board — to get on

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