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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 · branch · chair · prune · rush · game · net · board

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. game — wild animals
  4. net — for catching
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. rush — hurry
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. net — in sport
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. branch — a division
  18. net — after costs
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. prune — to trim
  21. board — a committee
  22. board — to get on
  23. game — a match
  24. game — a kind of play

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