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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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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  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. chair — a leader
  2. object — a thing
  3. board — a committee
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. branch — a division
  7. object — an aim
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. spring — a coil
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. squash — the sport
  12. spring — of water
  13. spring — the season
  14. board — to get on
  15. object — to protest
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. field — a subject
  18. squash — to crush
  19. field — for sport
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. field — farmland
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. chair — to sit on
  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