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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 · chair · object · game · branch · face · charge · wake

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. chair — a leader
  4. face — part of the head
  5. object — an aim
  6. object — a thing
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. charge — a price
  9. game — a match
  10. face — to point toward
  11. charge — in control
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. game — wild animals
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. object — to protest
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. charge — electricity
  20. branch — a division
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. face — to confront

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