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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 120 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: chair · bound · swing · chip · land · branch · ground · rock

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. ground — the earth
  4. ground — crushed
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. chip — to eat
  7. bound — tied together
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. land — a country
  10. ground — a position
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. swing — music
  13. land — to come down
  14. rock — music
  15. bound — obliged
  16. chip — for betting
  17. rock — a stone
  18. swing — in golf
  19. land — ground
  20. swing — to play on
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. chair — a leader
  23. bound — certain
  24. branch — a division

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