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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: hide · wake · branch · chair · board · prune · mug · suit

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. suit — clothes
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. prune — to trim
  7. mug — a cup
  8. mug — to rob
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. mug — a face
  11. board — to get on
  12. board — a committee
  13. chair — a leader
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. branch — a division
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. prune — to trim
  20. suit — to fit
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. suit — in cards
  24. wake — a trail

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