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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: mouse · rest · chair · pitcher · branch · chip · board · straw

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. chip — for betting
  5. board — to get on
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. rest — a break
  9. branch — a division
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. chip — to eat
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. chair — a leader
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. board — a committee
  22. rest — what's left
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. rest — what's left

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