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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chest · mine · bank · board · fall · bound · land · game

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  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. bank — of a river
  3. bound — tied together
  4. game — a match
  5. bank — for money
  6. fall — to drop
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. land — ground
  9. land — a country
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bound — certain
  12. chest — a box
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. game — wild animals
  15. mine — for digging
  16. bank — for money
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bound — obliged
  19. board — a committee
  20. chest — of your body
  21. land — to come down
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. fall — the season
  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