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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: rock · land · branch · chair · game · spring · board · hide

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. spring — of water
  5. spring — a coil
  6. game — a match
  7. rock — a stone
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. land — a country
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. spring — the season
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. branch — a division
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. board — to get on
  18. rock — music
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. land — to come down
  22. board — a committee
  23. game — wild animals
  24. chair — a leader

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