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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: rash · branch · chair · bound · board · press · ruler · charge

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. board — a committee
  3. branch — a division
  4. charge — in control
  5. board — to get on
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. charge — a price
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. bound — obliged
  11. rash — hasty
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. rash — a series
  14. press — to push
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. bound — tied together
  19. charge — electricity
  20. chair — a leader
  21. press — newspapers
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. bound — certain
  24. press — a publisher

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