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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: bank · board · degree · wound · branch · chair · press · rock

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. board — to get on
  3. press — a publisher
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. rock — a stone
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. press — to push
  9. wound — an injury
  10. rock — music
  11. degree — an amount
  12. degree — from a university
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. bank — of a river
  15. board — a committee
  16. bank — for money
  17. chair — a leader
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. bank — for money
  20. wound — an injury
  21. press — newspapers
  22. degree — temperature
  23. branch — a division
  24. chair — to sit on

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