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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: game · hide · board · bulb · squash · patient · branch · chair

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. board — to get on
  4. game — wild animals
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. game — a match
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. squash — to crush
  10. branch — a division
  11. board — a committee
  12. bulb — for light
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chair — a leader
  16. squash — the sport
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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