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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: object · bank · hide · chest · board · bat

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. chest — of your body
  3. object — to protest
  4. bank — for money
  5. board — to get on
  6. bank — of a river
  7. chest — a box
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bank — for money
  14. chest — of your body
  15. board — a committee
  16. bat — the animal
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. object — an aim

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