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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: net · can · key · branch · hide · board · chest · hand

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. chest — of your body
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hand — in cards
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. board — a committee
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. net — for catching
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. branch — a division
  11. board — to get on
  12. chest — of your body
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. net — in sport
  15. can — a tin
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — to be able to
  19. key — for a lock
  20. chest — a box
  21. net — after costs
  22. key — in music
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. key — the most important part

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