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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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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: field · ground · stick · prune · cabinet · chair · board · bank

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. ground — a position
  3. board — a committee
  4. bank — for money
  5. ground — crushed
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. prune — to trim
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. prune — to trim
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bank — of a river
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. board — to get on
  19. field — for sport
  20. ground — the earth
  21. bank — for money
  22. field — farmland
  23. chair — a leader
  24. field — a subject

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